A Kiss Before Dying
by BondageSeraph
Summary: Magus Zeal wants revenge for the lives destroyed by his nemesis, Lavos. But what happens when the price is too high?
1. Prolouge

A Kiss before Dying: Prologue  
  
i"Heaven hide your eyes, Heaven's eyes will never dry."/i -Arcadia "The Promise  
  
As humans we long for a great love. It lingers in the unconscious thought and we live half-heartedly until we can find someone to share our ideals and therefore complete us. We search and we do not find, we exist and yet we do not actually live. Our soul can only vaguely comprehend the concept of an all-encompassing love, and often we don't realize it until it truly enfolds us and then gently slips away, leaving words unsaid, gestures undone, and hearts unrevealed.  
  
This is a story of such a love, a love born in circumstance, twined in fate, and consummated by sacrifice and death. Its echoes are faint, floating through an old forgotten Fortress. The musty fragrance of dust lingers about it, along with the scent of lavenders. An odd combination and yet it brings back memories regardless of if you had experienced them or not. A subtle deja vu that affects all who pass through those doors of ancient stone.  
  
The pale gray light of morning brought no warmth to the open courtyard, and the frost-covered walls of Raven's Wing Fortress seemed to stand guard over the silence, so that no mere whisper of air dared disturb the area. Ancient memories make their homes in such places, and the cloaked figure that silently drifted along the stone path through the courtyard was at once part of them and haunted by them. Only the faintest crunch of snow under his boots testified that this figure was not himself a ghost. Not exactly.  
  
It was by the stone bench and the old fountain that he stopped, so abruptly that his cloak rippled, stirring the silence just as the sight of the bench had stirred those ancient memories. As if searching for them, the man lowered the hood of his cloak and cast his senses like a web over the area. If any eyes could see what ancient secrets hung in the air here, they would be his; unreadable in depth, beyond the emotions of the present. He bore the majesty of a graceful predator in those eyes, and in his appearance as a whole. Fine white skin, tinged the slightest pink by the cold, and a rainbow mane of spun silver, purple, platinum and blue that seemed to gather even this muted light and shine.  
  
He knelt and spread his fingers over the stone bench. Before his eyes the thin veil of frost melted off the seat, beyond where the heat of his fingers should have driven it. He noticed then the dried ivy that clung to the bench and the fountain behind it swelling, the gnarled brown vines drawing the moisture from the ground and sprouting buds of lavender. The cloaked figure breathed deep the fragile scent as each bud opened, bringing with it a memory of 'her'. Her eyes, the color of the dark heart of the lavender blossom, bearing the wisdom of the ancients even as his bore their knowledge. And if his hair captured the light and reflected it, hers was the gold white light of morning itself. If he had not believed in angels before her.before she had left his life. then he most certainly believed in them now.  
  
He stood quickly and blinked away the tears that had dared to form in his eyes. The illusion of lavender and ivy was gone; only the dried fountain and bench remained. He noticed that his breathing had quickened, and took a moment to compose himself. The moment was stolen, however, by a whispering voice behind him and the single word it pronounced.  
  
"Murderer."  
  
He spun on the voice, knowing even as he met the accusing stares of the stone gargoyles that lined the path that the voice was his. He drew the cloak back over his head and silently cursed himself for being so foolish before walking much more purposefully along the path toward the inner fortress. The walls seemed to grow taller as he approached, and the sky, thick with time and memory pressed down on him, at once vibrant blue and black, sprinkled with starlight of three hundred years ago. Then again the dead gray of this morning.  
  
Why had he come, he wondered. Why now? Perhaps he should leave. Just turn around and go. Leave the memories buried in the depths of this abandoned fortress. "You do love to torture yourself." It was Schala's voice, or maybe Setzer's. It didn't matter who said it or if it was true. He wasn't leaving. Not yet. He gently tugged on a thin silver chain around his neck and pulled a long key from inside his cloak. The voice of doubt challenged him once more as the key slid into the ice-covered lock, but he took a deep breath of resignation and unlocked the past.  
  
In the moments before the doors closed behind him, he stared into the darkness and thought perhaps he had simply outlived the memory of her as he had everything else. Then, as if in answer, his breath caught in his chest and his mind reeled as memories tore at him with weapons too painful to be of the physical world. Voices came at him from the darkness that now engulfed him, full of rage and venom.  
  
Fool. Murderer. Betrayer.  
  
"You shall rue each day you are left alive." .used her.  
  
.used her for revenge. You killed her.  
  
"How can you be so willing to toy with people's lives like this?"  
  
Please stop.  
  
"You treat us like chess pieces on the board between you and Lavos."  
  
Stop.get out of my head.  
  
"How many will it take to destroy before you finally checkmate Him?"  
  
"I.well, you are not like I expected. You are different, and yet so strangely familiar. Those eyes, I have seen those eyes only once before. They were in my dreams."  
  
Please.  
  
"Master, must we take her life? Everything we have done up to now seems so hopeless. Perhaps there is another way."  
  
"Ever since I was a girl, I had dreamed of having a loving husband, a warm cozy home and a houseful of children. However my condition prevents that. I won't.live to see the next spring."  
  
"She might be many things but she is not selfish. She will want to die for the good of humanity instead of living a few extra months with you. You must accept that about her."  
  
"My Janus.please.don't do.anything.drastic. I will.be.waiting for.you.for as long...for as long as it takes. And I .I will be wa- watching over you...until the...very.end ."  
  
He might have weathered these memories, but the last one came at him so differently. It was her voice, as tender and loving as it had always been, with no hint of malice or accusation. And it struck him so deeply he felt he might already be dead from it. He fled the foyer, guided only by years of having walked these halls that now blurred past him, parts of a world of dreams he had stopped having. Over a decade he had spent here; here he had plotted the course of his revenge against the one who had destroyed his family. It had happened so long ago.was he as old as he felt?  
  
When he looked up again, he found himself standing before a large and ornately carved set of double doors and shook his head. He almost laughed, and spoke aloud for the first time that day. "They were right, no doubt about it," he said. "I must love to torture myself." Nothing lay behind these doors save more pain, more shame and a deeper realization of his own worthlessness. "I couldn't save her.My Corrine." Too good for this world.she had given him hope, belief in the power of prayer. She had dispelled his fears with a single kiss. She had understood him when no other else could.  
  
The door creaked open as he turned the silver handle. He made a note to remind Ozzie to oil the hinges before remembering that Ozzie had long since left this place.  
  
He breathed a sigh of resignation as he entered the room. He was tiring quickly, for more emotion had escaped him so far this morning than had in the last three hundred years. He kept it locked away, for his own sanity and for the safety of those he cared anything for. His family believed that the change in him resulted from the tragedy of Lavos and from their absence during his formative years. Could they have been any further off the mark, he wondered?  
  
Magus opened the secret panel in the bookcase that revealed the tunnel, still wet and slimy from the natural spring beneath the fortress, and started his descent into the earth.  
  
Magus, please light a torch. I don't like the dark.  
  
He fell against the wall as the memory struck him. He had laughed and offered to hold her hand. How she had trembled; he could not forgive himself now for putting her through that. He almost forgot to intone the words to stop the spell trigger at the far end of the tunnel. The curse that protected his treasure chamber was a powerful and deadly one, and only instinctual self-preservation brought the words to cancel it mechanically to his lips. He did not need the runes of warning that faded before him as he entered, but as their light died out he found himself unable to speak that simplest of incantations, to summon the light that would allow him to look upon the reason for his coming.  
  
When finally he stammered through the spell and soft light illuminated this most private of sanctuaries, he let his gaze drift over the bookcases and alchemical tables, all left untouched since the last time he had been here. Why had he thought anything would be different? What had he been expecting? Then his gaze inevitably fell upon the pedestal in the far corner of the room, and to the glass coffin that lay upon it.  
  
The coffin itself was a work of art. No streak marred the frosted glass, and the silver edging sparkled brightly in the soft light. The master craftsmen who had built this coffin were knowledgeable in the mystic arts as well, and had inlaid every inch of the trimming with arcane runes that warded time away from the contents of the piece, and kept the coffin and the royal purple velvet drape above it free of dust. Although the tang of mildew dominated the room, the withered bouquet atop the coffin still smelled of violets.  
  
And then all at once fear overcame him, and his knees buckled. His hand shot out and latched onto a nearby table for support, but he could not remove his eyes from that corner of the room. He knew all too well what he would see there, but the few steps that would lead him to the pedestal might as well have been steps to the gallows. No, his own death he could face without flinching. This was infinitely worse. However, for as loud as his mind screamed at him to turn back, his feet had developed a will of their own, and moved him shakily to the pedestal.  
  
He resolved to bring fresh violets the next time as he put the bouquet aside so gently that not a petal broke or fell from it. Then he parted the drape. It felt so soft and heavy; it might have been the sleeve of her winter gown. He closed his eyes and smiled painfully as the melancholy of that thought washed over him. Then, taking one deep breath, he opened his unready eyes and looked down into the coffin.  
  
Some unformed sound caught in his throat, and all at once his entire countenance changed to one of tenderness, of love. Such a look no living being had ever seen on him. His voice broke slightly as he read the silver plaque he himself had engraved. "Corrine Nineve Graie." The body of the maiden from Domino Village would forever lie here, so well preserved by his potions and the magic of the casket that one might think she merely slept. The tranquil smile on her doll-like face told of a wonderful, never-ending dream in a world without pain, darkness or hate. Hers was now a world of warmth, of light, and most of all, of love.  
  
The man smiled as he noticed the amethyst and silver circlet that made its home in the platinum waves of her hair. It had been a gift from Ozzie and Slash. Her eyes, had they been open, would have matched the violet of her gown perfectly. That gown, stitched with the most delicate of seed pearls, a peace offering handmade by Flea. On her wrist shone the bracelet of silver and amethyst given to her by the man that could so easily have been her brother, Toma Levin. Each gift was a tribute of their unending devotion to her; in remembrance of the love she had in her heart for them all.  
  
Then his eyes came finally to rest upon the one item he could never leave without looking on; the item which he always saw last. On a silver chain around her neck hung a simple signet ring. Alongside the other gifts it appeared plain and uninteresting, but in the rainy Thursday of his heart it meant more than anything else. It bore his initials, MZ, and stood as a symbol of their bittersweet and all too brief marriage.  
  
He stepped away from the coffin, the cool glass still burning the palms of his hands like fire. His eyes shifted from a stone cold gray to a soft chocolate brown. Sadness claimed him utterly as he fell to his knees beside the coffin. His voice, when it came again, was less than a whisper, and each word a prayer for release from this anguish and loneliness he hid from everyone but her.  
  
"Corrine. If you only knew how I hate myself for that night. Of course you would understand; you have always been like that, so beautifully sensitive and unselfish. I offered you life, but you choose the life of others instead." Upon uttering that final word, the stoic bearing of Magus Zeal collapsed. Tears fell from his eyes to the stone floor as he pressed his forehead against the side of the coffin and sobbed. "I only wish I could have been as strong as you."  
  
The sound of his weeping drew the ancient memories of this place to him, where they would stay forever hidden from the light of the world. 


	2. Chapter One: Truth and Fate

Chapter One  
  
"For by the will of the gods, Fate hath held sway since ancient day." Aeschylus  
  
Dendoro Mts. 598 AD.  
  
Autumn had come. That was a more then apparent fact as the wind raked through the countryside and disturbed the outside work of many farmers in the small province of Domino Village. The wind took on a coldly bitter chill and it was only to be expected that soon the chill would spread to frost. It was frost that would eventually cover the crops and vegetation. Animals would start their hibernation for the winter and become scarce. Woe to the person that had neglected to set store for the cold months for indeed it would be doubly harsh.  
  
The Dendoro Mountains were the one part of the countryside unaffected by the wind, at least to every appearance. It stood facing the coastline, looking out in the direction of the Medina Continent and if any place could laugh then it certainly would, after all didn't the wind whistle along its pine-scented sanctuary with temptuous glee? Most certainly the wind could be felt within its confines. Leaves escaped from trees and twirled around in the perfect ballet of nature, The howling of the wind was the eerie resemblance of the high pitched screech of a child. It was no wonder why the rumors circulated around the village tavern that evil spirits haunted this forested mountain.  
  
It was a day in which no visible life dared to come out, it was safer by far inside where the wind and elements could not touch anyone. However toward the summit of the majestic mountain two figures fought their way against the wind in a valiant effort to make it to the top. One was riding astride a stately stallion and he was clad in armor of the most luminous platinum. No part of his body could be seen save the penetrating gray eyes that peeked out from the semi-raised visor. To his left a young man trudged alongside. He wasn't as showy as the man atop the horse, after all his garments were of mere leather compared to the knight's shining mail but in his eyes lurked a sincerity that well coupled itself to the knight's stoicism.  
  
"How long will it be till we reach the top, Cyrus? It seems as if we have been riding for eternity and I am starting to grow tired." The young man said and then promptly started into a coughing fit that was spurned on by the particles of dust that lingered in the air.  
  
Cyrus looked down at the boy from his perch and smiled though one could not see it underneath that visor and his eyes were not tell-tale for they constantly remained enigmatic. He pointed toward a clearing in the distance and nodded to communicate that they would soon reach the end of their journey. The boy sighed in relief and pressed on though he was cold, tired and weak from hunger, Surely he thought that the cheese and bread in his pack would taste good after such a trek as this.  
  
Many would call them crazy for being out in such weather and coupled with the precarious terrain of the Dendoro Mountains they would be considered doubly stupid. However they were on a special quest to retrieve something that had belonged to their kingdom for quite some time and had been recently stolen. Both had doubts and fears but they couldn't be detected. Sir Cyrus never showed his emotions to any one.. And the boy, well he tried so hard to be like the knight beside him.. his role model.  
  
After long last they came to a small clearing on the summit that bordered a cliff of ivory. In the center was a pool of still crystal waters and a few weeping willows were scattered about. It was an altogether surreal atmosphere. Strangely as they passed into the clearing the wind mysteriously halted though they could still hear it's haunting whistle.  
  
The knight dismounted his horse fluidly and took off his helmet with surprising quickness. He shook out his long blonde hair and then wiped the sweat from his brow, surveying the area around them with eyes that were purely analytical. Some would say he was a pretty man with that long hair, high cheekbones and perfect lips, but sensitivity and emotional behavior wasn't his fine point.  
  
"We made it, Glenn." Cyrus said as he proceeded to lead his horse to water in order to drink. Glenn plopped himself down on the grass and hugged the ground weakly.  
  
"Oh, Cyrus! My muscles ache beyond compare. Please say we don't have to go home so soon after we obtain the Hero's Medal." Glenn pleaded with wide naive green eyes, though he knew that would never work on Cyrus.  
  
"I am sure we are entitled to a few days rest. Hopefully Magus will come through with it." Cyrus kneeled down on the ground and cupped his hands to scoop up some water, hoping to soothe his parched throat. He gulped it down greedily and cherished the clean taste of it.  
  
At the mention of Magus, Glenn's brows furrowed and a small frown crossed across his lips. He brought himself to a sitting position and folded his arms across his chest. "Do you think we should really be putting our trust in Magus? He -is- the enemy of Guardia." A shiver ran up his spine at the rumors he had heard, granted he never actually met the aforementioned man but he dreadfully anticipated the meeting that would take place in a few scant minutes.  
  
"We don't have an option at this point. We are here and he will be arriving soon." Cyrus said softly as he rose back to a standing position and straightened out his armor, making sure to wipe off even the merest speckle of dust on it.  
  
"I don't see how we can trust him when he was the one that took the Hero's Medal in the first place, and well blast it all, Cyrus.. I just have a bad feeling about this." Glenn crawled over to the bank to get himself some water, lapping it up with little concealed thirst.  
  
"I am indebted to King Roland and Queen Leene. They are both counting on me and I won't let them down." Cyrus said matter-of-factly as he patted his horse down. Therein lay a sense of obligation and duty and Glenn very much admired that. That was why he wanted to be like him but then he was only a scrawny and inexperienced page. Glenn had a long way to go even though his heart was definitely in the right place. "Its just like you to think of other people. I don't think I could aspire to be that noble." Glenn said somewhat regretfully for he was remembering the many things that he forgot to do. It was the little details that sometimes mattered, at least in his opinion.  
  
Cyrus noticed Glenn's saddened expression and felt bad for all the little dreams that he knew Glenn fostered in his heart. He realized the substance of those dreams and truly did wish that they were reality, perhaps the world would be a better place if they were. However Cyrus had much expirence in the way that the world worked. He himself knew the games being played almost as if they were second nature. "Glenn, don't believe in anyone save yourself. To put too much faith in man is to make a mockery of the gods." Cyrus said and looked out toward the horizon.  
  
"What does that mean, Cyrus? I don't get it. You and the Knights of Guardia, I know you guys will come through, you always do." Glenn said matter-of-factly. He had seen them do so much, he had never seen them fail. Why not bet on a sure thing, right?  
  
"We won't be here forever. Neither my troops nor me. I doubt even Guardia will last that long." Cyrus said as he looked up at the trees that sort of flanked the entrance to the clearing. They looked ominous and of course he had a strange feeling about this meeting but he didn't want to scare Glenn.  
  
"How can you say that about our homeland?!" Glenn said though he was not unused to Cyrus's occasional black moods, this was no doubt just one of those.  
  
"Because I know." Cyrus said, his voice almost hollow as he stared past the trees. His eyes were not focused on anything in particular save that there was a far-away haunted quality that lurked on his features. Glenn saw it and it somewhat scared him. His teeth bit down firmly on his lower lip as he retreated into thought. Silence was the best thing right now especially when things seemed so uncertain.  
  
The wind picked up and started to shrill around them in the small enclosed clearing. The waters lapped against the banks with increased violence and the leaves started a ghostly dance around the little pond. Cyrus rose from the ground and stood firmly and Glenn scrambled up himself with less grace then Cyrus but he did get up nevertheless. He was more then scared at the ominous signs that nature was giving them.  
  
It rose to a deafening roar complete in its rage and it was all that they could do not to cover their ears in protection from the noise. Cyrus's cape whipped back behind him and almost struck Glenn down however he dodged out of the way just in time and had to catch hold of a nearby tree, clinging to the trunk with fearful tenacity. Cyrus just stood there as an indestructible pillar against the wind.  
  
Suddenly all was silent, the wind died down just like that and with no warning whatsoever. No birds chirped in the trees and there was no sign of life.. even the trees looked dead. Glenn took a deep breath after he realized that he had been holding his breath for a minute or so. "This is getting creepy, Cyrus." Glenn whispered hushedly, suddenly it became even more of a bad idea to even be here.  
  
"Please Glenn, I have to do this. Go if you must but I will stay." Cyrus murmured, his eyes never leaving the now rippling pool in the clearing. Glenn looked at his mentor with desperation and then felt bad when he detected no fear in him. He straightened his spine and took his place by Cyrus, shaking his head.  
  
"I can't leave you here. And I won't." Glenn stared out at the pool with the same resolution that Cyrus had etched on his face.. His jaw dropped however when he saw the clearing become consumed in a huge ball of purple light, himself and Cyrus being covered by it. An overwhelming heat emanated from its core and Glenn stepped back out of defense and instincts.  
  
There was a blinding flash and both men started backwards, even Cyrus couldn't keep his calmness for long. They fell to the deadened grass and shielded their eyes though it was useless for their sight had temporarily fled them. Maniacal laughter filled the air, ghoulish and fear inspiring.  
  
"That was quite an entrance master... hehehehe"  
  
"Oh please tell him to shut up, Master" Came a whining effeminate voice.  
  
"Silence! Both of you."  
  
Glenn was the first to get his sight back and blinked rapidly to speed up the process. He saw 3 figures on the other side of the lake, standing their watching them with bemusement written all over their faces. On one side was a round and plump green cretin. His eyes a shifty gold color that shined cruelly, even Glenn could tell that much. He wore white priest like robes that were meant to cover his obesity but instead marked it out. Around his neck he wore a heavy silver amulet and in the center the eye of some creature, it looked big enough to have been a small dragon.  
  
To the other side was a curvaceous female clad in skin tight white silk, her breasts jutted out and the curve of her hips seemingly flowed from underneath barely there waist. She had exotic almond shaped eyes and long beguiling lashes that fluttered rather coyly. She wore a leather belt around her hourglass figure waist and her long auburn red hair was drawn up on top of her head in a braided ponytail, the length going all the way down her back til it reached her ass. There was nothing weak looking about her and she seemed to give off the impression that she could hold her own in whatever circumstances that were presented to her.  
  
The one in the middle stood out the most though it wasn't by his appearance because he looked as strange to Glenn and Cyrus as the others did. What made him stand out was the invisible shield that seemed to be wrapped around him, the distance in his demeanor coupled with the cool way with which he regarded the two men across from them. Everything about him was remarkable to say the least. His hair seemingly spun of titanium for all the hues you could detect in them and the waves fell down his back like a refreshing waterfall and even sparkled in the sunlight. Eyes so coolly gray that it was quite possible to catch a distinct chill just from looking into them It was from him that Cyrus and Glenn received the most trepidation.  
  
Cyrus rose to his feet after only a moment passed and rested his hand against the hilt of his sword just in case anything happened or there were any sudden moves. He cleared his voice and spoke with startling clarity that echoed across the pool and toward the group that lay on the other side. Glenn quickly scrambled up frantically and sort of peeked out from behind Cyrus with wide eyes.  
  
"Lord Magus of the Medina Continent I presume." Cyrus called out curtly  
  
"People -have- called me that." Magus said diffidently and leaned up against the pole of the scythe that he had his long fingertips wrapped about. A dark purple cloak wrapped up his entire form so that he appeared like the calm messiah of death, the grim reaper that all the villagers whispered spirited away the souls of the dying.  
  
At the sound of Magus's voice, the girl standing by his side started to titter uncomtrollably as if she couldn't stop. The green cretin rolled his eyes and reached behind Magus in order to smack the girl over the head with his chubby arm.  
  
"Shut up Flea, you giggle like a girl. It will annoy the master."  
  
"I can do what I want Ozzie."  
  
"Silence I said!"  
  
"It would be lovely weather if not for the sudden gusts of wind." Cyrus said as he pointedly attempted to ignore the bickering among Magus's followers. It was something that he didn't want to get into. He had a mission and nothing would pull him away from it.  
  
"I think we should cut with the petty talk about the weather and get down to business. I am sure that is what you want as well. I understand you are prepared to meet the terms I have outlined.?" Magus said with a clipped voice that meant all work and no play. Cyrus let his hand slip away from the hilt of his sword and he nodded ever so slightly in response to Magus's commanding voice.  
  
"Terms? I wasn't aware of any terms. What terms are those?" Glenn whispered curiously as he tugged on Cyrus's arm. Cyrus shook his head and smiled slightly before shaking Glenn away, not out of cruelty but perhaps kindness.  
  
"Don't worry about it. They are not important." Cyrus murmured back to Glenn and then took a few steps toward the pool in front of him till the water almost lapped against his armoured feet. He stood straight and tall and he met Magus's gaze with unfaltering lucidity. "I agree to your terms. You have my word on my honor as a Knight of Guardia." Cyrus said with a serious incline of his head. A lock of gold brushed across his cheek as a gentle breeze was initiated aside from the quiet solemnity that had previously existed.  
  
"Honor as a knight.. but what of the man?" Magus inquired with a sardonic smile. It was the first display of emotion other then coldness that passed over his face. He seemed to find what Cyrus said funny in a remote way and it made Cyrus realize that he didn't know exactly -who- he was dealing with. For all that he knew, Magus could be a madman in the disguise of rationality. A shiver ran through him though, vaugely uncomfortable and he knew exactly why. Because what Magus spoke had some grain of truth to it.  
  
"Cyrus is one of the most noble men that I know! I suggest you back down on that remark!" Glenn said as he withdrew his short sword like it would do much good against the three figures that combined magic power could no doubt destroy all of Dendoro Mts.  
  
"Being a hero and being noble are not one in the same granted many men have painted it so throughout myths and legends." Magus said as he reached into the inner folds of his cloak and drew out a luminous medallion. The Hero's Medal of fabled lore, a relic blessed with the ability to grant the wearer strength both inner and outer. It hung from a golden chain and he started to swing the medallion back and forth much like the pendalum of a clock. "Of course if you chose to believe that Cyrus is honorable then I will not shatter the illusions of the young."  
  
"All we have come here for is the Hero's Medal. Let us discuss it without the terms of ethics or nobility else we would be here all night." Magus however raised his hand to silence Cyrus and then even the breeze stopped.  
  
"Before the actual transaction takes place I would like to discuss a few things that have been on my mind concerning your -honor-. You no doubt recall when I had kidnapped Queen Leene and stored her away in the cathedral, hmm?"  
  
"Yes. I do." Cyrus said with gritted teeth and he felt his fists clench at his sides in an entirely involuntary gesture. He had felt rage even then when the Queen had been abducted but then how could it be different, everyone else had been equally worried.  
  
"Master, I don't see why you have to bring up that annoying girl." Flea intercepted as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her behavior mirroring a petty jealous streak.  
  
"She is more of a girl then you are, har!" Ozzie wheezed before Flea swapped him in the head with her long braid.  
  
"Be quiet!" Magus shouted out to his minions before continuing. His voice was edged with more then a little annoyance though he tried to veil it. "I learned quite a few things from your precious Queen. She is precious to you I would imagine." He said quite conversationally.  
  
"She is precious to everyone in the kingdom." Cyrus countered though there was the tremor of a falter that ran against his voice. "We were all very thankful that you didn't harm her in any way."  
  
"That makes no difference however what would -you- have done if I had?" Magus said with a raise of his silver eyebrows as he walked around the lake, leaving his group behind in order to approach Cyrus face to face. Soon he was standing 4 ft away from Cyrus, close enough to touch, close enough to see every nuance of emotion that pased across the knight's face.  
  
Cyrus's voice became nothing more then a low modulated growl. "I would of ripped your god-forsaken heart out." Came the answer. Glenn's jaw dropped. Never once had he heard Cyrus speak with that much passion.  
  
"You really are a selfish man, Cyrus. Selfish in the aspect that you stand beside the king of Guardia, act as his best friend. Claiming all the laurels of honor from the kingdom as your own, all of them stemming from the opportunities that -he- gave you. And then there you are, perfect little knight, fucking the King's wife. I can't decide if I should condemn you for hypocrisy or cowardice. Perhaps both would be most suitable"  
  
Glenn was speechless and so was Cyrus. The expressions on their faces could only attest to their surprise. Glenn didn't know if he could believe what this man was saying, after all Magus was the enemy of Guardia. When Glenn chanced a glance at Cyrus's visage, he knew that there was indeed a ring of truth to it though he did not know in which direction it lay.  
  
"I did it for love." Cyrus whispered softly and the guise of his stoicism dropped as he stared at Magus. "You did it for lust. There -is- no such thing as love." Magus countered with all the cunning of a predatory cat  
  
"I did it for Leene."  
  
"Then why wasn't it you that saved her instead of a group of ragtag kids?"  
  
"Touche Master!" Flea started to jump and down, acting the willing cheerleader before Ozzie once again elbowed her in her stomach.  
  
"Damn it Magus.." Cyrus turned around and started to walk toward the trees to somehow get his rationale back. "I had a duty, I had to guard the King. The rest of the knights could of taken care of it."  
  
"And in doing so you betrayed the one that you betrayed the King for. Some loyal and noble knight you are." Magus said as he started to focus some energy into his hand. It started out as a seed of royal blue that glowed even in the direct sunlight. As it fed off the energy of all that surrounded it, it gradually grew bigger and bigger. An arcane whisper filled the air and Cyrus turned around more in curiousity then in anything else. He didn't flinch when he saw the orb that now whirled about Magus's hand and he acted as though he had been expecting it all along; what Magus was doing now.  
  
Eyes closed and mouth moving as the wind picked up around him in a torrent of blackness and dark energy that throbbed with innate power just as the blue orb did. His eyes then opened and Cyrus was amazed to see that the greyness had gone, being replaced by a haunted purple.  
  
"It's time, is it not?" Cyrus murmured. He didn't attempt to run.  
  
Glenn saw the scene unfold and knew what was going to happen, knew the agreement and he didn't like it one bit. He started on a run toward Cyrus thinking that perhaps he could save him by pushing him out of the direction that the energy was licking towards. "Cyrus!" He shouted against the wind but the shout got stifled as he felt a body collide against his back and throw him toward the ground with surprising force. He hit the dead grass with a thud.  
  
"Oh no you don't, big boy." Flea murmured against Glenn's ear as she pressed her body against his with surprising force for such a petite girl. "You are staying right here and keeping me company."  
  
Cyrus and Magus faced each other for a moment and all that seperated them was a glowing ball of energy. It was a surreal moment. No one could enter into it and it held no meaning save for those two men.  
  
"One day you will know the bittersweet taste of love. You will taste it but never completely have it. Only then will you understand.. you will understand my reasons for everything I did. I did it for love.. I did it for love." His voice faded in with the torrent of wind but it still carried to those that were the audience.  
  
Magus released the energy and it hurtled toward Cyrus with incredible speed. It wasn't done transforming for it was aquiring energy during its journey and it didn't stop until it hit Cyrus right in breastplate. Cyrus blinked for he felt the impact but it wasn't what he expected, he expected the force alone to kill him but he was still staring at Magus. He looked down and saw that the energy centered against his breastplate but it was slowly covering his entire body like a giant energy parasite. Each spot it covered was filled with an empty numbness that he could do nothing but succumb to.  
  
"How does it feel to lose your soul. Lose your will to fight and love." He said that word in a mockery of what Cyrus said earlier. His eyes were still purple and in them Cyrus saw a loss so great, an emptiness so wide and vast. And in this moment he pitied Magus for whatever caused him sorrow.  
  
"Glenn... " He whispered as he felt the energy creeping and infiltrating the last regions of his body and robbing his soul of all that he esteemed in his life. "Take.. care.. of.. Leene.. please." It was a choked sob cloaked in a whisper as the will completely drained out of him and left him a hallow shell. The energy realized that its job was done and it vacated Cyrus's body in a heartbeat. It spiraled up in the air just as Cyrus's body hit the soft grass with a sickningly empty thud.  
  
"CYRUS!!!" Glenn shouted out as he felt fragile tears rise through his eyes only to plummet down his cheeks. He tried to get up and run toward Cyrus but Flea's weight prevented him from doing it. "You bastards! Let me go! Let me go! You killed Cyrus!"  
  
"Bingo! You are correct, kid." Ozzie said as he toddled over to Magus and stood a distance away. "Can't let such a cutie go, at least not yet." Flea said as she chanced a tentative nip at Glenn's ear. Magus stood there and looked up at the energy hovering in the sky and then he held out his hand, palm upturned. The energy took that as invitation and condensed itself till it was but the size of a seed. Then it lowered itself and hovered over Magus's hand before it gently dropped into the safe haven. Magus closed his fingers around the energy and then enclosed it in a glass sheath of his own summouning before storing it in the safe folds of his cloak.  
  
"How very fortunate for me that one does not have to be noble in order to be a hero. He was a martyr til the very end. It was a shame that his own guilt drove him to sacrifice." Magus pondered to himself as he turned on his heels in order to view the vista that was opened up to him. It was possible to see all of Dendoro Valley, the sea and further along the horizon he could even spy the craggy cliffs of his own domain.  
  
"You killed Cyrus." Glenn screeched as he struggled against Flea's grasp.  
  
"And you are -very- perceptive." Magus murmured nonchalantly as he regarded Glenn with a sideways glance. His gaze raked across the boy much like one would inspect a vile insect.  
  
"You don't think you will pay, do you? You will. As Guardia is my witness you will." Glenn vowed. "Yeah kid, you don't know you are dealing with the King of the Monsters here. Our master will Dark Matter ya if you aren't careful." Ozzie said as he started to dust off the back of Magus's cloak.  
  
"Master! Can I keep him?" Flea giggled softly and rubbed her body up against Glenn's back provacatively and fluttered her eyelashes beguilingly. Hoping to somehow charm Magus. it didn't work for he did not give her a passing glance.  
  
"No you cannot keep him. Humans are not pets to be toyed with. Besides that I am quite mad at what you did to Toma last night. He was a guest, I was quite horrified when you grabbed his crotch like that." Magus said before he switched his attention back to Glenn. "I suppose I will pay...eventually. As it stands, I would like you to know that your hero's life went to aide a good cause."  
  
"I don't care what you say, nothing can excuse you taking his life like that. Nothing!" Glenn protested and then wiggled into a sideways turn underneath Flea and then clamped his teeth over the skin of Flea's arm. Flea let out a screech and jumped up, holding her injured arm and growling at Glenn.  
  
"You little bitch!" Flea said. Glenn scrambled to his feet and tried to remember where his short sword got thrown. He saw it off toward a boulder and lunged for it. Ozzie however caught him before he could get that far. His arms acted like clamps for Glenn and they were indeed far stronger then Flea's was.  
  
"Now to figure out what to do with you." Magus pondered as he approached Ozzie and Glenn. He looked Glenn up and down, assessing him with an eagle's scrutiny.  
  
"I say we Dark Matter him!" Ozzie piped up.  
  
"I say you let me toy with him for a few hours." Flea chimed in her own request.  
  
"Don't give him to Flea, he would only rape him."  
  
"Him?!?!?!" Glenn spat out before he felt himself want to gag with sickness and disbelief. That was a female.. wasn't it? He took a good look at Flea and the gagging sensation was reinforced big time.  
  
"Beauty is beauty regardless of gender. I've got it so I'll flaunt it." Flea said as he blew a kiss toward Glenn  
  
"Flea is a male or so he/she says. I have never argued with her/him and I certainly haven't cared to explore the matter further. That is besides the point. What we need to do is figure out what to do with you." Magus explained calmly as he started to pace around Ozzie and Glenn.  
  
"I still say we Dark Matter him. It will shut him up big time."  
  
"I don't have enough energy to expend on that spell. The energy syphon took enough energy to send me into hibernation for a good 3 days. We can't take him home with us." Magus said as he tapped a finger against his chin. He appeared to be in deep thought.  
  
"We can change him into something else." Flea suggested as he took a knee down on the ground and ran a hand up Glenn's calve. Glenn shuddered and tried to squirm out of his path.  
  
"I rather fancy that plan. I think that is the best plan you have come up with in a while, Flea." Magus said as he rummaged around in one of the pouches that hung from his belt and removed 3 seperate vials. "I suppose there is a reason why I keep everything handy like this." He read the labels on the vials and started to chuckle. "And it seems to me that we have some fairly interesting choices."  
  
"I am not being changed into -anything-!" Glenn exclaimed. "I will get out before that happens.  
  
"Keep dreaming, young one." Magus smirked.  
  
"What are they?" Both Flea and Ozzie chimed in unison and then glared at each other for good measure at having taken the words out of each other's mouth.  
  
"First choice is a bunny." Magus held up the vial full of powder pink liquid.  
  
"Oh come on, can't we think of something more disgusting and horrible then that?" Ozzie grumbled and tightned his hold on the struggling Glenn.  
  
"I kind of like bunny rabbits. They are so cute and delicious." Flea murmured as he tickled Glenn's inner thigh lightly.  
  
"Stop that this instant." Glenn demanded however it gave Flea more pleasure to go on.  
  
"Bunny it -isn't-. I want him to live with his form." Magus said as he tossed the vial aside. It smashed against a tree and the liquid ran in rivulets down it. "Next choice is a woman."  
  
"No! I hate women!" Flea said petulantly and crossed his arms over his womanly chest and sent his ardor spiraling downwards to hell.  
  
"Certainly not disgusting or horrible but hey I like it!" Ozzie said with a lewd grimace and squeezed Glenn as if pondering the form further.  
  
"I don't care much for women either and I certainly wouldn't want to be instrument in putting another woman on this earth so I guess that one is out of the picture too. Don't even know what I was thinking creating that potion." Magus shook his head in bewilderment and then tossed it over the side of the cliff and inadvertantly hit a straggler with it. Once that man woke up from being unconscious.. well he wasn't a man any longer, that was for sure. That is also a different story.  
  
"Last one is the generic one. A frog. Dreadfully cliche and unimaginative but a party favorite nevertheless." Magus said as he turned the vial over in his hand and pondered it.  
  
"Nice and slimy. No girl will want to get near him." Ozzie said with gleeful assurance.  
  
"Can I keep him even if he is a frog?" Flea pleaded and looked at Glenn with a predatory gleam.  
  
"No." Magus said simply. "However a frog will have to do since it is the only potion left." Magus said as he uncapped the vial with clinical percision.  
  
"Damn it, you men are mad!" Glenn said as he eyed the potion with growing horror. "You will never get away with this."  
  
"C'est la vie" Magus chuckled with amusement as he held the vial up in his hand. "Now Flea. Would you do the honors of pouring this down the young lad's throat?"  
  
"Why of course, Master." Flea was on the ball in a matter of seconds. He took the vial and then with one hand pried Glenn's jaws open. It was a struggle since Glenn kept trying to open his mouth to protest. "Drink up, my little pet." Flea murmured, pouring the mixture down the boy's throat. Glenn felt the bitter liquidy slime drip down his throat and the bile wanting to rise up to meet it's descent.  
  
"Do not worry. It won't hurt.. much. The thing that will really hurt is being the little frog boy, revulsed by humans and maidens alike." Glenn then felt his insides nearly tear apart from the strange substance in that potion. The pain was from the insides re-arranging to form the anatomy of the frog which was quite different from that of a human. Ozzie let go of Glenn and watched as Glenn fumbled around trying to focus in on something but it was hard because of the film that was covering over his now protruding eyes.  
  
"Never again will you know what it is like to be accepted, always you will be the eternal outcast. Your only hope of salvation is the kiss of a maiden and that is in a world where fairy tales have lost their charm. I hope you enjoy your fate, frog boy." Magus said as he moved to lean against the rock, watching the transformation with little concealed amusement.  
  
Glenn let out a horrified shriek as his his skin turned a pea green and the insides of his hands sprouted webbing around it. If he chanced to look down at his feet, he would of noticed that same thing was happening there. He felt a sense of revulsion for what he was becoming, what he was transforming into. It was unreal but the pain of the transformation convinced him that it was no illusion. Magus's words rang true through his soul and then he stumbled off toward the edge of the cliff. He didn't see it, he was still trying to adjust to the sight of a amphibian. He lost his footing against some rocks and before he knew what was happening, he was falling down a dark abyss of time and space. With a thump he landed at the bottom, not even a cry accompanied it. Just silence.  
  
Magus, Ozzie and Flea were silent for a few moments as they looked down at the drop which Glenn fell to. Magus removed from his cloak the Hero's Medal and looked at it with detachment, it really was a lovely trinket. But that was all it was to Magus, a trinket.  
  
"Fair is fair." Magus said before he threw the Hero's Medal down after Glenn. It kept falling and glittering in the sun until it disappeared from sight and it was no more. "And I am tired after this afternoon's sport. We should head back to the fortress."  
  
"I still don't see why I couldn't of kept him." Flea pouted petulantly and tried to cuddle up close to Magus. He pushed him away and turned his back to his minions to look into the setting sun against the horizon of the sea.  
  
"We still should of Dark Mattered him. I think that would of been quite fun." Ozzie also pouted though he didn't cuddle up to Magus which for Magus was quite the relief.  
  
"I really think you are a masochist Ozzie. You know it is all the time that the master has given you the Dark Matter. Gods know you've recieved it enough." Flea snickered under his breath, the voice still amazingly feminine for a man, but then so was the body.  
  
"Lets go home. I tire of this place." Magus said without answering any of his minion's questions. Perhaps it was better to just get home, ensconce himself in his library and eat the food that Slash no doubtedly had whipped up for them. He drew the circlle of the warp with his fingers and then motioned for Ozzie and Flea to enter first. They dashed into it and then he followed, his cape swirling behind him as the rainbow coloured plasma engulfed them all into its depths.  
  
Glenn opened one eye and stared straight at the Hero's Medal that lay before him on the ground. It sparkled just as brightly for him as it had for Cyrus and it gave him hope even when his form drove him to the pits of dispair and back. Now he was forced to become a man, forced to become the man that had been his hero... Cyrus. He reached over weakly to wrap his webbed fingers around the medal and drew it toward him.  
  
"Magus, You shall rue the day you live. My form will be nothing compared to the anguish you shall feel. Mark my words." Glenn croaked out in the the ribbity voice of a frog before he gave way to the blessed darkness of unconsciousness. 


	3. Chapter Two: Innocence and Circumstance

Chapter Two  
  
"Born of such innocence, how little we save. Our spirits are tempered from cradle to grave. If one drop of virtue can somehow survive, From oceans of doubt our dreams can arise."  
  
-Breathe, "Perfect Love"  
  
Domino Village. 600 AD.  
  
It was raining in the Village of Domino though it wasn't raining very hard. In fact the light drizzle was a relief after the many months of torrential rain that had so recently passed. It heralded the blanket of snowfall that would soon wrap up the countryside in stark silence. Children were outside playing and frolicking in the streets, trying to take advantage of such auspicious weather despite their being bundled up to the hilt with scarves, coats and caps.  
  
Lights glowed from each and every one of the windows and the faint beads of condensation that misted the windows told the story of warmth and comfort indoors. It would certainly be a welcoming atmosphere that greeted those that passed over the thresholds of those doorways and gained entrance. Most importantly it would serve as protection from the chill that night would gradually bring.  
  
One young girl peeked out of window and she indeed appeared a pitiful sight as she looked out at all the playing children in the street. Her nose was pressed against the cold pane of window glass and her eyes were so full of longing to go outside and join the children playing games in the road. There was a thick warm ivory shawl wrapped around her shoulders and her hair hung in plaits of light gold that was lief to almost blend in with the wool shawl but not quite. Her pallor was a trifle on the pale side save for the hint of rosy pinkness that brushed over the tops of her cheeks and that was thanks to the heat circulating in the cottage.  
  
She sat on the window seat, propped up to a sitting position by a variety of multi-coloured cushions. Across her lap lay a patchwork quilt and some bits of unfinished sewing work that had been abandoned when she caught sight of all the activity outside but here she was stuck indoors with nothing to do but watch as they played and she couldn't.  
  
The room was small but well lighted and cozy, the bed was situated in the center of the room and it was covered by scores of quilts and pillows. On shelves lining the walls were toys of all different types, predominantly dolls from every region in Guardia. Some of them were fashioned by the most elite toymakers of Guardia and wore resplendant costumes that somehow seemed out of place in this humble cottage room, others were a pile of rags that had make-shift eyes composed of black buttons. However they shared the same place on the shelves and were most definitely equals. Fairytale books from every imaginable place lay on the nightstand table, most bound in rich leathers. Scattered on top the books where miscellaneous trinkets: A peacock plume, two small turquoise stones, a purple crayon, a small violet ready for pressing and a emerald green ribbon. This was a room that belonged to a child.  
  
The girl looked down the sewing in her lap and twirled a piece of ruby flax around her fingers with distraction, her mind obviously wasn't in the room with her body. It was someplace else entirely. She then pushed the quilt aside along with the sewing and then got up from the window seat. Rising to her feet she could feel the weakness pouring through her limbs and she caught ahold of the wall in order to draw support from it.  
  
"Legs, don't fail me now." the girl murmured in a soft and serene voice and then she attempted a tentative step toward the direction of the nightstand which was the next closest thing to cling to. Her legs felt heavy and she could barely pick them up off the floor but she took a chance and removed her hands from the wall in order to make it over toward the stand. The stand teetered toward her, or maybe it was she to it but at any rate she caught the edge just before her knees gave out on her and her body lowered to the floor in defeat as an aching sensation stung at her muscles. She whimpered and pressed her cheek against the rough oak, it was the only sign of weakness before she raised herself up from the ground with the strength of her arms and then shifted to cling to the mattress of the bed, the safe haven that she sought had been reached.  
  
Clambering up onto the bed, she burrowed herself underneath the covers to look for something. And for a moment she was only a lump under the vast sea of quilts and pillows. She surfaced holding a china doll of fair colouring and luminous purple eyes almost as similar as her own. In fact the doll and the girl looked surprisingly alike. They even wore their hair in the same style, plaits falling down long and straight. The doll was lovingly rested against the cushions and the girl picked up a book from the stand, "Dendoro Phantoms & Specters" and then she opened it up to the place where she marked her place with a cream colored ribbon.  
  
The stove heater rattled in the kitchen and the girl looked up with calm purple eyes, evidentally she was used to the noise that it made for she didn't even start or flinch. "Mother? Do you need any help in there." She called out as she heard pans rattle and dishes clatter against the wooden counters.  
  
"No! You get your rest, Corrine Linnea Graie." The voice said with the faintest trace of bitterness mixed with nonchalance. Corrine sensed it and turned her head back to the words printed on the parchment page. Tears stung in her eyes but she didn't surrender to them, she was made of much stronger stuff then to just lose control of her emotions suddenly.  
  
"I feel a little bit better." She whispered low enough so that her mother didn't hear her. Did it really matter anyways?  
  
"The doctor gave me orders to keep you in bed and that is what I will do. Besides that Fiona and Marco are coming by tonight and you should be in bed where you won't have the possibility of getting them sick. Fiona is expecting soon you know and I don't want to endanger my future grandchildren." The mother said briskly enough to send Corrine sinking down into the covers, she reached over and clutched her doll into her arms and burrowed so that only her eyes peeked out.  
  
"Mother?" Corrine faltered and then heard footsteps sound through the kitchen before her mother peeked into the room. Mrs. Graie was a very beautiful woman with honey blonde hair and flashing green eyes. She didn't resemble a motherly figure in any way but one could not help but note the wearied lines that edged her eyes and hands that had seen too much farm work. The way she looked on her daughter gave one to wonder if she actually loved Corrine. Lurking in those emerald orbs were traces of resentment and exaspiration that intensified when talking to her.  
  
"What?" She demanded as she wiped her hands on the large white apron that she wore.  
  
"I could sweep or go out into the garden to get some vegetables for dinner." Corrine offered as she felt the ache in her limbs momentarily pass away.  
  
"You can't go outside! That would be suicidal for you, do you want to get any sicker?" She said, widening her eyes with incredulity and leaned against the doorframe of Corrine's room.  
  
"I want to help. I feel like dead weight." Corrine pleaded with large purple eyes and clutched her doll tightly. Now Valeria Graie saw her daughter do that and inwardly scorned that her 16 year old daughter should do that especially when all girls in Domino Village gave up toys at 13 and married at 14. It just didn't seem right to her.  
  
~"It will be a miracle if she makes it to her 17th birthday much less the spring. Just let her rest and enjoy her last months"~  
  
"Too many cooks spoil the pot. You can stay there and try to get better.. I will bring you a bowl of beef stew, some bread and a mug of cider once I get things straightened up in the kitchen." Mrs. Graie said as she turned her back and started to walk out of the room. Corrine threw off her covers and once against tested the ground with her feet. There was no shaking so she took a few steps toward the doorway and looked out. She was very tall and slender, built like an ancient grecian sylph. Her features were elven and had a surreal ethereal quality to them. A beauty that was heightened by the promise of death.  
  
"Did I happen to get anything from Toma?" Corrine inquired as she stepped into the kitchen and toward the stove that was the main source of heat for everything in the cottage, the fireplace in the living room only being used on special occasions.  
  
"I haven't heard from Toma in quite a while. No doubt he is off on yet another of his harebrained adventures." Mrs. Graie said as she shuffled about the kitchen with a broom in her hand. She could of shooed Corrine back off to bed but she lacked the patience for it.  
  
"I can imagine." Corrine said as she got a dreamy look on her face. "Last month he sent me a oriental kite to fly when the winds of march blow through the Valley. I can't wait to try it out." Corrine whispered and felt the cool wood caress her cheek as she leaned against the doorframe. "He's been everywhere and he has been promising to take me on his next great adventure." She smiled and realized that she was now talking to herself, her mother had stopped listening awhile ago.  
  
Corrine knew her mother didn't like her and she had accepted that all her life, she never let her heart fall too far into her stomach when she sensed the chill in which her mother addressed her. It wasn't just now, it had been 4 years ago, 10 years ago; it started the day she had been born.  
  
"Toma spoils you entirely too much. If he didn't humor you, you wouldn't be playing with dolls and reading fairy tales at sixteen. Most girls have husbands and children at that age." Mrs. Graie went off on her own tangent as she opened the back door and swept the dust out briskly.  
  
"No one wants me, mother. I am sick all the time." And to punctuate that, Corrine's slender form started to wrack in a coughing fit and she covered her mouth with the sleeve of her nightshift to prevent the spreading of the germs that her mother so constantly worried about. "I don't have a body that could bear children, it would kill me. The whole purpose of marriage is to bear children, it would be futile for me to enter into it. I will stay single, I am content." Corrine said resolutely as she walked over to the kitchen and looked out at the small garden that she had tended in between sick spells all last year. Summer had been pleasant enough that she could stay outside for long periods of time. In fact the sun had taken away her cough for a good two months and for a moment made her appear almost as healthy as any other girl, but then autumn arrived and the cough struck once again. The violets were her cherished treasure as well as the white morning glories. She never cared much for roses, they were too grand for her simple tastes.  
  
"Look at Fiona. She had her pick of every eligible bachlor in Domino Village, she was quite the queen among the lads." Mrs. Graie bragged about Fiona to Corrine. Corrine merely smiled and listened, nodding her head in response. She was used to this as well. Surprisingly it didn't bother her, she was quite aware that Fiona was the beauty of the family. No, she wouldn't grudge Fiona those laurels or the many admirers she had.  
  
"Fiona will no doubt have beautiful children." Corrine interjected in as she continued to look outside at the rain running rivulets down the windowpane. She then turned quiet, she didn't even hear when her mother started to talk. The rain was temporary, it never lasted forever. One moment it was pouring from a vengeful sky, next the sun was out and blessing the earth with its safety. There was a promise in each day even though at times it was of the sad and melancholy nature.  
  
"I didn't bring flowers to father's grave last week..." Corrine remembered in a whispered breath. Her hand moved to trace a flower like pattern against the steam on the glass. It had been a tradition that she always took flowers to the grave, even in her worst weeks. Due to the prescription for constant bedrest, she wasn't allowed outside all that much. She missed those pilgrimages to the little churchyard where her father's body lay. During those times she raised her eyes up to the sky and prayed to whatever was up there, sometimes she mentioned her hopes, sometimes she prayed for the safety of others but always she cried for she remembered her father when everyone in the family had forgotten how good he had been to them. At times.. she wished that she could be with him, was that a selfish request?  
  
"Once spring comes, your father will have a whole slew of flowers on his grave from the rain. One missed week won't change that." Mrs. Graie said flippantly and then took out ingredients for a pie from the cupboard.  
  
Corrine was about to say that he liked it when people brought flowers to the grave but she knew that would earn her a funny look and a biting remark from her mother. She was sensitive when it came to her father's memory. Anything that her mother said about him would hurt her for days afterwards so she kept quiet. No need to pursue that subject further. She turned away from the window and was at a loss for words, what could she say to a person that had been virtually a stranger to her all her 16 years? The person that she had even been able to have decent conversations with was gods know where and she was left drowning in a sea of bittersweet memories. No ship to save her, no life vest to hold onto. She glanced at the sideboard where all the food was kept in warming plates and then over at the table where the places were set for 3: Her mother, Fiona and Marco. The food turned her stomach as a sudden lose of appetite set in, she didn't belong here in this family, she didn't belong in the village. She belonged nowhere.  
  
Without saying anything Corrine fled back to her room. It was an easy task since her mother was preoccupied with the preparation of dinner. With speed she ran over to the chamber pot as the bile rose in her stomach, she hoped that she would make it in time. Her hands gripped the side as she retched into it and like floodgate the tears were released from her eyes as well. As she cleansed her stomach, she cleansed her emotions. It was blessed release from the fear and sadness that so often touched her heart when she thought about the future.  
  
She finished and sat back, pushing the chamber pot aside weakly. There were faint shadows underneath her eyes and the tears were crystalline upon her cheeks. She sat there staring at the shining brass, not seeing anything past it and not really wanting to.  
  
"I am going to die..." Corrine's voice was faint but it wasn't as though she was saying it with sudden realization. No, she had known for the past year that she would die. It had been all a matter of playing a waiting game with fate and her flucuating health. Most of the time she had accepted it calmly and placidly, pretending that she wasn't aware of it at least to her family and the doctors. Talking as if she would most assuredly live to see the snow fall that happened in late winter, see the cherry tree blossom in the yard during the spring, fly kites and swim in the summer. She pretended she was a normal girl who could do things that others could do when in her heart she realized that she wasn't and that just in the nature of survival, everyone would only leave her further behind.  
  
She struggled to her feet and walked toward the bed, feeling weak both emotionally and physically. Everything was beckoning her to crawl inside the covers and sleep did sound inviting right about now. Once she was under the covers she wrapped her arms around the doll and brought it close, curling into a fetal position as silent tears rolled down her cheeks yet again. They were completely unstoppable and she didn't bother trying, after all no one was watching.  
  
"Father..." She whimpered as her eyes closed of their own free will and blessed darkness took over. At least in sleep there was escape from reality. 


	4. Chapter Three: In Indecent Proposal

Chapter Three  
  
"I don't mean to start any blasphemous rumors, But I think that God's got a sick sense of humor. And when I die, I expect to find him laughing." -Depeche Mode, "Blasphemous Rumors"  
  
It was a much rougher rain that plauged the Medina continent that same evening. No self respecting person dared step outside for fear they might either get pounded into the ground with the bullets disguised as raindrops or swept out to sea like a pathetic little ragdolls. It most certainly was safer indoors and all the creatures in Medina Village were inclined to agree wholeheartedly to the suggestion. Better to curl up by the fire and eat SlimeEels stew then chance a stroll outside in the temptuous weather.  
  
High atop the cliffs perched a lone fortress of bleak granite hued rock. The waves crashed against it and tried to scale its walls but it was futile to even begin to mess with something that had been made to cast aside the intrusions of man and nature. A few lights shone from its windows but other then that it was completely dark and aptly blended in with the storm gales that pounded with no mercy whatsoever. On the other side of the Cliffs and fortress was acres of forested privacy and run-down gardens that looked to have seen better days. This wasn't by appearances a opulent or homey residence, in fact it looked to be quite opposite but then maybe it was the storm that was playing tricks of the light and illusion with it. Everything looked sinister in the light of a storm.  
  
Tucked away in the library of this fortress, Magus sat in a huge purple upholstered wing chair and held a large leather bound tome on his lap. He was reading intently and his finger followed the words along with his eyes. Devoid was he of his scythe and cloak and he appeared almost human in nature albeit he remained silent as usual. The long sleeved light purple tunic that he wore was loose and flowing against his skin and the doeskin breeches stretched across his slim legs and narrow waist as if they had been born there. Beneath that cloak he had no deformities and he dressed like anyone else in that day and age, in fact if many people could see him as he was now, it would no doubt eliminate much of the fear factor that was associated with his name.  
  
Magus stretched out his legs in front of him and let out a brief yawn. It had been a fairly uneventful day with him having sequestered himself up in his laboratory to mix up some potions and elixers and then finally coming down to the library to await his guest and read so as to not get bored with merely waiting. He glanced up from his book and stared at the large grandfather's clock ticking away in the corner. A quarter to nine and to think he had put off dinner for him. Magus frowned and returned to his book, tapping a few of his fingers against the wooden armrest somewhat impatiently.  
  
His ears perked up as he heard running down the hall and then a shrill voice echo through the halls exclaiming. "Toma's here!" then a few more footsteps exclaiming, "Flea! Stop!". Magus chuckled lightly and shook his head, this is what happened -every- time Toma stepped on the premises. Perhaps for a birthday gift, a Flea repellant might be concoted.  
  
"No doubt Toma will be forever in my debt." He mused to himself as he continued to read the book.  
  
--  
  
Meanwhile a young man hopped down from the carriage and grabbed his pack. He was fairly handsome in a boyishly wholesome way. Perhaps he even looked a bit too innocent, maybe it was those brown puppy eyes or maybe it was the way his short wavy hair fell around his face to frame it perfectly. His body was muscular but not sickningly so and he radiated a vitality that wasn't too forceful and intimidating. He flashed a charming smile up toward the coachman and rummaged around in his pouch at his belt, he drew out a few gold guineas and handed them to the man.  
  
"Thank ya much. I promise that next time I am in the area, we will have a real race, my horse against your carriage." He winked and then slung his pack over his shoulder.  
  
"I'll no doubt win and then you will owe me a bottle of Dendoro Ale." The coachmen called back as he set the horses in motion. Toma laughed out loud and waved his hand as the coachman disappeared down the rain curtained drive.  
  
"We will see when the race actually starts" He said as he then turned around to face the entrance of the fortress and coughed just a bit. He pulled his brown cloak around him tightly and started in a roundabout way toward the fortress as if he was expecting for something to happen. Tree upon tree sheltered him as he cast furtive glances at the doorway and neared slowly but surely. "Damn it come out so I can go in." Toma hissed underneath his breath. "It's raining out here, I will catch a cold if he doesn't come out soon."  
  
"TOMA!!!" A voice yelled and he blanched considerably as it came from behind and certainly not from where he expected it.  
  
"Flea! Control yourself!" Ozzie's voice rang out in the night air after Flea's maniacal giggles.  
  
"Oh dear." A very quiet and monotone voice interjected. It didn't have the inflections that the others did but it was said in a loud tone that was meant to carry.  
  
"Oh shit." Toma murmured as he felt himself being picked up by dainty looking yet very strong arms and of course he was helpless to stop it. All he could do was hang there limply over Flea's back and stare down at his ass, which of course would of been a very nice ass if it hadn't been accompanied by a penis.  
  
"Toma, I missed you baby!" Flea purred and started his trek back toward the fortress with Toma the self proclaimed rag doll in tow. Toma fixed baleful eyes on Ozzie and Slash who followed close enough to keep an eye on Flea and him and then mouthed the words "Help me." however he knew that they wouldn't. There was such a thing as monsters staying together. He -was- a human and therefore suspect.  
  
'The feeling is oh so mutual." Toma said, his voice dripping with sarcasm that Flea just didn't get because he just giggled in that frustratingly female voice.  
  
"He hasn't had anyone to ass rape for the longest time, he's been holding out for you" Ozzie leered and taunted Toma. Toma slumped even more so and sighed, the only one who remained neutral was Slash and that was because he rarely talked. Other then that Toma felt ganged up on.  
  
"That comforts me quite a bit, thank you Ozzie for putting such a -wonderful- mental image in my head. I really needed that." Toma blahed semi-weakly and played dead as Flea carried him into the fortress with determination.  
  
"Toma! We can find an empty room if you want.." Flea cooed and dashed up the steps of the grand staircase. Toma choked and dropped his pack, watching it flop down the stairs with intermittent thuds.  
  
"Ummm.. no. And will someone get my pack please!" Toma sighed with resignation and watched Slash bend down to pick it up obediently. Toma smiled, Slash has always been a fairly good fellow if somewhat vauge and strange looking. He was tall and thin like a beanpole and his skin took on a bluish tint, his eyes were dark and full of mystery and he wore asian robes of a ceurelean hue that billowed about his form with unspeakable grace. At both his sides were sheathed swords that he always had with him and it was fitting since he was a renowned swordsman. He didn't say much but he didn't have to, his presence got the point across long after Ozzie had stopped prattling.  
  
"Aww. You are no fun Toma." Flea pouted petulantly. Toma groaned, almost feeling sorry for the horny monster that couldn't get any.. until he felt Flea smack his doeskin clad breeches and it resounded in the hall like a testament to Toma's captivity. Toma let out a eep and started to squirm and flail with all his might however it didn't do much because his strength wasn't that monumental to begin with. He was only an adventurer.  
  
"Lemme go! I don't want you, psycho bitch!" Toma yelled into the cooridoor and didn't notice that the double doors leading to Magus's library was fastly approaching. All that was on his mind right now was defending his person from being harassed or raped and the whatnot.  
  
"Toma doesn't bat for that team, Flea." Ozzie snickered and toddled along as fast as he could judging the great mass he took up on a regular basis.  
  
"So what. That hasn't stopped me before, besides that I have breasts!"  
  
"That ain't all you have!" Toma fumed and kicked toward Flea's shin however it didn't work. He briefly pondered how such a petite pretty boy could be carrying him down the hall right now. It just wasn't right at all.  
  
"You are still bitter about that night." Flea huffed and stood aside as Ozzie moved toward the doors to throw them open, he entered the office in a whirl of white robes and Flea followed right after.  
  
"Of course I am bitter.. I found out you were a man!"  
  
"You are such a hater." Flea sniffed and carried him over to Magus. Standing there and patting Toma on the butt repeatedly.  
  
"Will you.. stop.. that!" Toma reached around to attempt to swat Flea's hand away.  
  
Magus glanced up from his book and raised his brow. His face remained stoic however there was a glimmer of good natured humor in his eyes as he found the situation quite funny. This happened -every- time that Toma visited the fortress.  
  
"It is kind of you to arrive. I have been waiting a good two hours for you and I am almost through with this book here." Magus closed the volume and tapped his fingers against the cover to punctuate his point.  
  
"Please call him off." Toma whimpered, realizing that he was completely at the mercy of Magus's whims. Of course later he would laugh about it, but right now Flea's hand was inching its way along his inner thigh and it got closer and closer with every second.  
  
"Very well Flea. Drop him, now." Magus commanded, having pity for his friend's plight.  
  
Flea did just that. He dropped Toma right on the floor in front of Magus and sighed, knowing that there would be no fun for him tonight. Toma hit the ground with a thump and just lay there on the carpet, looking at the purple and silver flowers that weaved right by Magus's booted foot.  
  
"You know I am starting to form this strange surreal connection with the carpet.. I wonder why." Toma said dryly and then pushed himself up from the floor. He gave Magus an indignant look and then realized he was also laying at Flea's feet. He scrambled off toward the other side of Magus's chair and put some sort of distance between himself and the psycho.  
  
All three minions stood before Magus and awaited there orders. Toma peeked out from behind the chair and was consistantly amazed at the power that his friend held over others, Magus hadn't even spoken yet and still they were expectant of the order that would soon be issued forth from his lips. Toma grinned and leaned his head against the side, watching expectantly.  
  
"Ozzie, take Toma's pack to the room that has been prepared for him. Slash, please bring up some repast as soon as possible for I haven't supped yet and I am sure that Toma hasn't either. As for you, Flea. Just leave." Magus said and nodded to each of them in turn.  
  
Ozzie grabbed up Toma's pack and went away with it obediently. Slash executed a half bow toward Magus and then stiffly walked out while Flea just stood there for a few moments and crossed his arms over his breasts, obviously he was sulking. Magus grimaced slightly and the Flea sort of jumped back up, turned tail and scooted out of the room before Magus could think of casting a spell.  
  
"Shut the door behind you, Flea." Magus called. Almost immediately the door was shut firmly and the two men were left alone to talk. Toma immediately got up from the floor behind Magus's wing chair and walked over to the opposite one to sit down. He sprawled in the chair and propped his feet up on the matching ottoman, breathing a sigh of joyous relief. Once he got ahold of his senses he opened one eye to peer at Magus lazily.  
  
"Why can't you just tell him to set me down. Why must it always be, 'Flea, drop him!'. My back hates you." Toma said quite conversationally.  
  
"Well I don't like your back very well either, that is why I do it." Magus chuckled and then set his book aside on the coffee table. Toma squinted and leaned sideways just a bit to catch the title of what Magus was reading.  
  
"Poisons and Curses. Bedtime reading at its finest." Toma commented wryly and then came as close to a giggle as a manly man like him was able to. "Don't see how you can do it though, read that stuff. I think it would be rather dry to get through." Toma said and leaned his head against the back, closing his eyes once again. "But onto the subject at hand. What did you call me for? Do you need some more Belladonna, Moon Lilies or Yesaldra roots? Or better yet you want me grab some more rainbow shells. Perhaps I have to scoure the North Sea for Siren Scales. Whatever it is.. I am your man." Toma opened his eyes and waited expectantly for Magus's request.  
  
Magus got up from his wing chair and walked over to the fire. Clasping his hands behind him, he stared down into the flickering flames of the hearth. His eyes stared through the fire or at least it seemed that way to Toma.  
  
"I need a virgin."  
  
"What?!?" Toma's eyes widened and he sat straight up in the chair. There was certainly no more slumping for him and Magus had his complete attention. "You didn't just say what I thought you said, right. You probably said 'virago'." Toma rationalized. "You know I am only a treasure hunter, right. Don't give me no monster hunting jobs, I'd get eaten for breakfast by them"  
  
"I said 'virgin', Toma." Magus said and rubbed his temple with his fingers.  
  
"Waitaminute. A virgin isn't the way to go for the first time.. let me get someone with a little more expirience. You have come to the right place though, I have the hook-ups" Toma chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest, his brown eyes sparkled with mirth.  
  
"I don't want a virgin to -sleep- with, Toma. This is purely business."  
  
"More's the pity." Toma lamented and leaned his chin against his fist in thought. "Of course, how could I expect you to be anything less then the poster boy for celibacy. What exactly do you have in store for this virgin?"  
  
Magus turned around to fix on Toma gray eyes that were the same colour as the rain that poured from the sky and perhaps just as cold. It wasn't necessarily directed at Toma.  
  
"Remember Cyrus and Melchoir? The fate that they met at my hands?"  
  
"Ooh boy, yes I do. You for some reason fancied taking their souls and turning them into crystals. What a great way to make friends. You most certainly will be the life of every party."  
  
"Quit it, Toma. I am not joking. I am summouning Lavos."  
  
"What?!?" Toma once again popped straight up in his wing chair. "Two surprises in one day, this isn't a good thing Magus." Toma sobered completely and took his feet down off the ottoman. "I wish I could be joking when I say that summoning Lavos is no joke however I have heard all sorts of stories about him and none of them I like."  
  
"I have to summon him, and most importantly I have to get revenge for what happened to Schala." Magus clenched his fists tightly with pent up rage.  
  
"And so you think that placing yourself in a position of suicidal proportions is going to make everything better? Oh and lets not forget the entire world, all the helpless and innocent people that would stand to lose their lives if you mess up in the summons." Toma got up from the seat and stood right up in Magus's face and pushed a finger into his chest to emphasis his point. "It isn't worth it."  
  
"It's safer to summon him now while he is still in larva stage. If he is allowed to just sit there, he will grow in proportion with all the earth's energy that he sucks up while he is burrowing. Believe me, Toma. Less lives will be lost if I do it now."  
  
"Perhaps you are right but then what if you are wrong? What if all your speculations are incorrect and your actions blast the whole world to smithereens. Wouldn't you feel the tiniest bit guilty."  
  
"I wouldn't feel anything, I would be dead." Magus said dryly.  
  
"Hahaha.. very funny. Now where does the souls of Melchoir and Cyrus come into play?" Toma went straight for the point. Normally he didn't ask these many questions but he felt entitled to now.  
  
"I need the souls of three to summoun Lavos. I need the soul of a Hero, I need the soul of a Wiseman and I need the soul of a Virgin. The first one I got was Cyrus and I had to kill him, Melchoir killed himself so that I could have his soul. As for the virgin. I am not picky. Any one will do I suppose." Magus shrugged carelessly. There was a knock at the doors to signify the arrival of food and Magus called out a brusque enter. The doors opened and Slash walked in with a tray cart laden with two bowls of beef stew and thick slices of bread smothered in honey and butter. One pitcher of water for Magus and a few bottles of soda pop for Toma. There were also half a chocolate cake to be shared between the two men. Toma's eyes grew wide as he saw the food but he didn't pounce it immediately. His stomach rumbled to announce how hungry it actually was.  
  
"Thank you Slash. That will be all."  
  
Slash executed yet another bow and then dodged out of the room and shut the door behind him with no promptly. Toma took that opportunity to wander toward the cart and pick up the bottle of pop. It was his favorite and everyone at the fortress knew it. He uncorked the cap and took a sip, more so it was a delay tactic so he could figure out how to answer Magus's request. Finally he set the bottle aside and took the plate with him back to his chair.  
  
"The girl will die."  
  
"Yes, that is the general plan."  
  
"How can you be so willing to toy with people's lives like this? You treat us like chess pieces on the board between you and Lavos. How many will it take to destroy before you finally checkmate Lavos?" Toma demanded quite conversationally.  
  
"It takes as many as it takes."  
  
"What if it fails?"  
  
"What if it doesn't?"  
  
Toma choked briefly on a piece of carrot and then regarded Magus with solemnity or at least with much solemnity that one who had just choked on a piece of carrot can. "You have quite a bit of confidence. I just want to see if you have thought all angles through."  
  
"I took 21 years to think everything through. I am sure that counts as something." Magus said and sat down at the chair, he wasn't exactly hungry right now.  
  
"I know quite a few girls in Domino Village that are virgins but I am not going to resort to abduction. I am not a kidnapper and I want this to be the girl's choice. It is only fair."  
  
"I would imagine that most girls don't relish the thought of dying." Magus remarked caustically, trying to make Toma see that kidnapping was going to be the -only- way.  
  
"Damn it, Magus. This isn't going to be easy. Why do you force me into these types of situations." Toma sighed and stuck the fork in his mouth and let it dangle there comically. It was very hard to take Toma seriously even when he was being serious.  
  
"Because you come through while others fail." Magus sighed and closed his eyes. Long fingers once again reached to his temple to massage, this was giving him the beginnings of a migraine.  
  
"Alright. Now Toma, think rationally." Toma started talking to himself and not Magus. Stuff like that helped him think clearly. "Magus needs a virgin, but I don't want to kidnap one. We need one that would kill herself for Magus's cause. Gee magus don't know many girls that would do -that-." Toma groaned and banged his head against the back cushion of the chair.  
  
"I don't want a suicidal virgin, I think that would defeat the whole purpose of a 'pure' soul." Magus commented.  
  
"Damn you sure are picky. Okay so we need a virgin who isn't suicidal that would let you kill her. The prospects are not getting any better."  
  
"Maybe a virgin with a fatal disease that cannot be cured. She dies anyway and I get the soul that I want." Magus reflected as he glanced over at Toma to see what he thought of that idea. "It wouldn't be murder if there was consent. I am sure there are a few out there that are in so much pain that they wouldn't mind the release of death."  
  
Toma thought about it for a moment and then he remembered something in his mind and it chilled his soul to the extreme. Not wanting to broach the subject he just remained silent but he had a troubled look on his face.  
  
~I haven't visited Corrine in a long time.~ Toma thought remorsefully and he felt bad, especially concerning the latest missive that he had recieved from Fiona. Fiona had told him that Corrine was sick and would likely not make it past the spring. When he had read it, he hadn't believed it and then thinking about it some more he realized it was plausible. That was when the tears started. He had anticipated going home to visit Corrine after this job for Magus was completed.  
  
"Who is Corrine?" Magus asked quietly as he instinctively read into Toma's thoughts. At times he did have respect for other people's feelings though it only happened in rare instances such as these. He didn't make too much a habit of it.  
  
"Damn you Magus, stop reading my mind like that! It is rude." Toma instantly became indignant but one look at Magus's sympathetic face and he faltered. "Corrine is a girl back home that I grew up with." Toma said with a wistful smile and his normally healthy appetite left without a trace. He set the plate on the table and sat back in the chair.  
  
"I hit a sore spot I see. This girl is sick?"  
  
"She has been consumptive all her life. It turned viciously ugly when her father died and she refused to move from his grave for 3 days. That was during the rainy season. When it was all said and done it left her weaker." Toma shook his head and sighed softly as a wave of helplessness washed over him. To say that he was sad was an understatement and Magus could see that much.  
  
"She is a good friend? One that you care about." Magus continued as a way to get Toma to speak about the girl. A majority of him wanted to know the details, it was the selfish side of him that wanted to complete his goal and summoun Lavos.  
  
"I care about Corrine greatly." He smiled just a bit and at this moment he was talking but not to Magus, only to his mind. "I was in love with her once.. I was even wanting to marry her."  
  
"You still love her. That is why she wouldn't make a suitable virgin. It is because your heart is too attached." Magus got up and walked to the tray in order to pour himself a glass of crystalline water. He took a meditative sip while he thought.  
  
"Of course I don't want to give her up to your cause, not when it isn't all that certain. It is called love and even though she no doubt will die, there is still that small sliver of hope that exists." Toma argued vehmenantly. He refused to listen to someone who had never professed to caring for anything in his life.  
  
"Tell me, is this girl in pain?" Magus said as he picked up a piece of bread and ripped off the corner. He popped the piece into his mouth and then washed it down with another sip of water.  
  
"Off and on. Some days it is better then others." Toma said as he fixated his gaze on Magus. These were the times when he wondered what kind of things went on in Magus's head, what motivated him.  
  
"You profess to care about her and yet you condemn her to live in pain for the rest of the time that she is here? Have you even given her the choice yet? If I have to I will kidnap a virgin and kill her. It isn't something that I particular look forward to doing but mark my words, Toma Levin.. I will do it." Magus trailed off as he walked over to the window to look out at the rain that slashed against the window glass. The glass he still held in his hand even though it was empty.  
  
"If I had to chose between a village girl and Corrine, it would be Corrine so don't try to manipulate my emotions like that." Toma scoffed and shook his head. "Don't get me wrong, I like you Magus. But you just don't have any scruples when it comes to human life and that is what bugs the shit out of me."  
  
Magus swiveled on his feet to look over at Toma solemnly and it caused Toma to almost regret what he had uttered. In those eyes were things that he couldn't even begin to comprehend much less understand.  
  
"Will you at least go home and ask her if she would do this for me. I know it is a gamble but I have time to spare until the time of the summouning, the Zeal Moon appears. I don't want to kill a female, I seriously don't. Cyrus was one thing, Melchoir was another but this is entirely different." Magus pleaded, it was the first time that Toma had seen Magus actually resort to begging and if this situation wasn't so serious then Toma would of been inclined to laugh.  
  
Toma raked his fingers through his hair and sighed despondantly. What could he do, after all Magus wasn't asking him to gag Corrine and drag her back to the fortress. Besides that it gave him an excuse to go home and visit, to be there for her last days on this earth. "Yes Magus, I will do it. However if she -does- come back with me I have a few demands." Toma said and got up from the comfy wing chair and walked over to stand at Magus's side.  
  
"Reasonable request.. what are they?" Magus inquired as he directed his line of vision at his friend's very determined profile.  
  
"One, I know you don't like women at all -but- you will treat her with respect and try not to scare her. She has heard stories about you from me and so she isn't completely in the dark about you. She actually thrives on the infamous 'Magus' stories if you can believe that."  
  
"She does?" Magus raised a brow. "Melodramatic female who thrives on the fanciful and whimsical. Frankly all that comes out of your mouth is utter bullshit so that doesn't surprise me." Magus commented wryly. Toma promptly hit Magus in the ribs with his elbow and Magus took a few steps back.  
  
"I will ignore that comment." Toma waved his hand and continued onto the next provision. "I want the best for her, that means food, lodgings and by all means you better keep her entertained."  
  
"I don't run a beachside resort." Magus rolled his eyes as the task seemed more daunting then at first he thought.  
  
"You think I am asking you to dress up Ozzie, Slash and Flea in showgirl outfits and have them dance across the hallway for her. I am merely saying that she should have things to do while she is staying here, be it books or games." Toma interjected and then continued. "Third, I will be here the entire time to act as chaperone. If she stays, I stay too."  
  
"What do you think I am going to do, ravish the girl? Now that is a real laugh and I am quite ashamed that by this time you don't know me better then that." Magus started to crack up and hand to lean up against the wall as he just lost it completely. "Of course in order to 'safeguard' your ladylove's virtue I consent." Toma started to flush and shook his head though of course he had been thinking that very thing but maybe it was just the way that he felt about Corrine that made him suspicious of the intentions of any other man that entered Corrine's life.  
  
"It isn't that. It is just that I am here to safe-guard her best interests. I can more suitably do that being around her." Toma murmured and tapped his foot against the ground nervously. He figured that Magus knew already what he was thinking so it didn't matter.  
  
"It is alright and I understand completely however you know that you are always welcome as a guest here in my domain. You didn't really have to ask for the third condition, it was already assumed." Magus smiled just a tad as the laughter subsided.  
  
"A'ight!" Toma grinned and ducked his head sheepishly. "Well you aren't such a bad guy yourself. One can almost ignore the lighted skulls lining the driveway if they actually get to know you."  
  
"That my friend, is a comment I will ignore." Magus tried to keep a smile off his face and he succeeded save if you looked closely enough you could catch the glimmer of it lurking in his deep green eyes. 


	5. Chapter Four: An Unexpected Visitor

(Author's Note: By now you are wondering what those little astricks are doing around certain little phrases, well those are thoughts of the various characters and while usually they get italicized, someone fanfiction.net will not accept it and while I love them, I don't want to tangle with too much HTML. Thank you for the patience and enjoy this next installment. ^_^)  
  
Chapter Four  
  
"She was as good as she was fair, None, none on earth above her; As pure in thought as angels are, To know her was to love her. -Shakespeare  
  
It was easy to get out of the house and Corrine reprimanded herself for not having done it sooner. It would of spared many useless and futile arguments with her mother on being able to go outside. It had come to her during the night when she woke up from sleep and stared up at the ceiling. The house was quiet and dark, not even a squeak from the floorboards disrupted the fragile silence. She swung her legs over the side of the bed and felt a bit stronger but then again after resting up her body did feel like it was able to handle more. Raising herself from the bed she steadied herself and then started to tiptoe over to the oak wardrobe in the corner of her room. She moved as slowly as she could so as to make any sudden noises or hasty moves that would wake up her mother. It wasn't a very large house and one small noise that wasn't natural could waken the dead.  
  
After rummaging around in the dark, she finally located a winter gown of lavender wool and pulled it out. She shed her nightshift quickly and then slipped into the dress which hung a size too big because of the weight she lost during the past couple of weeks. Her fingers buttoned it up as rapidly as she could and then she pulled out some wool stockings that would aptly keep her feet warm against the chilling cold of the winter night.  
  
Once she tugged on some shining black kid boots she looked around for her cloak, goodness knows she hadn't used it in awhile. Not since early autumn to be sure. Corrine bit her lower lip as she tried to remember where she had last placed it.  
  
"It was right after I came back from the grave the last time. I had started coughing just before I came back indoors and mother sent for the doctor immediately as she ushered me off to bed. It must be in the hall closet. It -has- to be in the hall closet." Corrine rationalized as she opened the door to her room with great care so as to not make a squeaking noise. The hinges on all the doors needed a good oil job but small things like that got neglected because of the lack of a male presence in the household. She cleared the kitchen safely and entered the confines of the living room.  
  
Now the main problem with this area was that floorboards randomly creaked when stepped on and it took alot of skill and precision to manuever through this room. Corrine started walking through the room cautiously, stopping when she heard the faintest creak and then lowering her weight on the spot gradually so that the noise was drawn out in subtlety. There was no way she was going to wake up her mother. She edged toward the closet door, closed her fingers around the knob and turned with infinite gentleness. It opened inch by inch and soon she was staring into the inky blackness of the closet, remembering at the right time that her cloak was black.  
  
"Does it really matter which one I take?" Corrine asked herself as she reached her hand and pulled out whatever it was that her hand touched first. She donned the cloak, tied the strings and pulled the hood over her face as she took the last few steps toward the front door. The obstacles were nearly cleared and then she would be out of her invalidish prison.  
  
She slipped out the door silently and then walked down the steps. No doubt, it would be better if she kept quiet until she was quite certain that her mother wouldn't wake up and drive her back into the house. Near the front gate was the patch of violets that she tended and she made her way toward them, knowing they would serve her purpose well. She plucked a few from the earth and cupped them close to her chest as she moved toward the gate. Opening it up, she stole out and started to follow the road north and away from the village and toward the village graveyard.  
  
The graveyard had been there for centuries and it was placed so far from the village. Mainly it was because the villagers were naturally superstitious and believed intensely in the spirits of those that passed away. This was the time of night when it was perfect to go and recieve enough quietude to pay respects to the departed. Corrine didn't fear ghosts, there was little she feared aside from complete and utter darkness. Nothing could keep her away from the grave of her father and it wouldn't until the day she was to join him in heaven. She entered in through the gates and went toward the back of the graveyard where her father rest. She bit her lower lip and finally reached the humble little stonepiece that rested underneath a large weeping willow tree.  
  
She faltered briefly at the starkness of it, lamenting the fact that no one other then her ever bothered to put flowers on the grave. Kneeling down on the ice kissed earth she placed the violets at the headstone and touched the words imprinted on granite with soft fingers:  
  
~*~RIP~*~ ~*~Leif Kendrick Graie~*~ ~*~"Father, Husband, Man"~*~ ~*~561-594 AD~*~  
  
"Father." She smiled softly and settled down there as she wrapped the oversized cloak about her shivering form to keep warm. "I came as soon as I could. Mother wouldn't let me out of the house because I was.. well I am sick. I had to sneak out tonight." Corrine murmured and smiled with a tad bit of longing and settled down on the grass, laying her head on the folds of wool that was the cloak.  
  
"I came here to tell you that I won't be visiting your grave for very much longer.." She paused in anticipation and then laughed. "But soon I will be joining you and we can be together again. Just you and me." The winter wind played through the branches of the trees creating a haunting melody. "No, father.. I won't get better. I heard the doctor say so when he thought I was asleep. Mother and Fiona are humoring me until I die to the point that I am looking forward to it. All I wish.. " Corrine paused and then reached over to cup one of the violets lovingly. ".. is to see Toma one last time. I know he is busy with his adventuring but he promised me one of my own." She sighed and closed her eyes wearily. "I could fall asleep out here and never wake up." Forcing her eyes open she sneezed slightly as something tickled her nose and glanced up at the sky. Snowflakes? She propped herself up and smiled in glee for she hadn't been outside in a snowfall for a long time, ever since she was a child of 10 in fact. Little did she know that snow was her father's way of reviving her and making sure she didn't fall into a deathly slumber. It did work because she got up from the ground and stared straight up at the sky with wonderment.  
  
"What a lovely present! Thank you father!" Corrine then knelt once again at the grave and pressed her warm lips agianst the cold gravestone. "I love you and I will see you shortly."  
  
She took her time strolling back to the cottage for she only wanted to enjoy all the beauty of pre-dawn and savor it as if it were her last. Strangely alive she felt, her limbs didn't ache and she breathed deeply of the night air without fear of it sickening her worse. Every time she came back from a visit to her father's grave, her spirits soared toward the stars and it was reluctant to come down. Skipping down the lane wasn't a problem even though she knew that in the morning she would waken tired and weak but for the moment it didn't matter. Nothing mattered whatsoever except that she was happy and content with her short lot in life.  
  
A light shone from the window of her house and she paused at the gate in surprise. The light wasn't -supposed- to be on unless of course her mother woke up and discovered that she wasn't in her bed much less the house. Corrine didn't want to think about what would happen to her if her mother knew that she crept out to visit father's grave, no doubt it would be a comment of total derision. That wouldn't surprise her one bit.  
  
She stiffened her back with firm resolve and geared herself for whatever she faced in there. Certainly her mother couldn't do too much to her, it was her own life after all. Hurridly she walked toward the porch steps and then opened the door very softly, slipping inside. Warm air immediately attacked her lungs and she coughed, so much for complete and total stealth.  
  
"Corrine Linnea Graie! Whatever are you doing outside this time of the night? The night air is bad for you!" Mrs. Graie rose from the chair by the fireplace and gave her daughter a disapproving glance.  
  
"I am sorry Mother, I wanted to visit father's grave and put flowers on it. That is all." Corrine said penitently and bowed her head, prepared to face whatever consequences. She didn't notice that another chair was occupied for in her guilt she was blind to everything else around her.  
  
"You want to endanger yourself further? It is your life and I can't stop you. However you missed being here for the arrival of your guest." Mrs. Graie said with a huff. Corrine raised her head and blinked as she scanned the living room.  
  
"Guest?" She murmured before she caught sight of the other chair and the person in it. A slow radient smile brushed across her lips and her purple eyes lighted up, indeed transfixed with pleasure. "Toma!" Corrine cried out and ran over to Toma and flung herself into his arms quite readily.  
  
Toma had watched Corrine come inside and his breath had caught very briefly from a mixture of conflicting feelings. It had been August when he had seen her last and that had been when he was home for a few weeks. He had helped her plant the little garden out back and it was what had cemented his feelings for her, the passion that she displayed for all living things including plants. ~ "She is so pale, my poor sweet Corrine. If there was only way I could take away her sickness and replace it with health."~ However while Toma wanted to sigh, he didn't. He just pasted on his charming grin and opened his arms widely for Corrine so that he could hold her in his typical brotherly fashion. "My poppet. How are you feeling? I was in the area so I decided to stop by and pay court. I was lucky that there were not a line of suitors outside, I suppose they even need to sleep." Toma winked slightly and wrapped his arms firmly around the girl, drawing her into his lap.  
  
"Toma, I was wondering when you were coming by again." Corrine layed her head against Toma's shoulder and snuggled up carefully. "You know I don't have any suitors, I don't even have any real male aquaintances to speak of."  
  
"You have me." Toma chuckled just a bit. Corrine giggled softly at the sound of his laughter rumbling in his chest.  
  
"You are not an aquaintance. You are a friend, silly!" Corrine smiled in way that could of captured any man she wanted had it not been reserved only for her dear friend, Toma.  
  
A clear and distinct cough interrupted the friends from their exchange. Corrine's mother stood there watching Corrine perched on Toma's lap like that and was somewhat outraged at the lack of propriety that her daughter displayed. Sure it could be accepted when Corrine had been a young child, but now that Corrine was grown it wasn't seemly, no matter if Corrine was an invalid or not.  
  
"Put your cloak away in the closet so that it has a chance to dry and then take the seat across from Toma. I am sure you two can talk just as easily at an acceptable distance away from each other." Mrs. Graie said sternly and then walked into the kitchen. "Toma, would you care for anything to drink? Hot apple cider or coffee? I also have desert left over from last night." She took the role of courteous hostess which she had always been especially when Toma had been concerned. There had been a time when Toma was considered a prospective suitor for Fiona but he never had the inclination to propose.  
  
"Apple cider, please" Toma grinned charmingly as he furtively scooted his chair closer to where Corrine was sitting, their knees now touching. He leaned down to start to whisper to Corrine in the way that they had but Mrs. Graie started talking and putting his intention to talk with Corrine on hold.  
  
"It is too bad that Fiona isn't here to see you. I am sure that you two would of had a lovely talk about the past. She and Marco are doing well. Can you believe she is pregnant?"  
  
Toma sort of rolled his eyes but answered politely. "Well she is 20, it is about time that she had children of her own. Marco must be proud." All the while he mouthed to Corrine the words, "Some things never change" and Corrine giggled softly in response. Toma brought out the impish girl in her more often then not.  
  
"That is what I have been saying but she has been reluctant. She says that she doesn't want to go through the pain of childbirth too early."  
  
"I agree completely, birthing children is a serious nature and it is better to be safe then sorry." Toma murmured, trying to stay interested when all he wanted to do was talk to Corrine privately.  
  
Mrs. Graie brought out a tray with two plates of apple pie, a mug of steaming cider for Toma and a cup of warm millk for Corrine. "I want Fiona to be safe but I also want grandchildren." She said as she set the tray on the coffee table and started to sit down as if her whole business was to listen in on Corrine and Toma's conversation.  
  
"This isn't going to do at all.." Toma thought to himself and then once again attempted the tradmark Levin charm which just happened to work on all Graie females with considerable success. "Mrs. Graie. If you don't mind, could you leave me and Corrine alone? I have some things I want to discuss with her privately. Very sensitive issues." Toma grinned and picked up the cider to take a sip.  
  
"I don't think it is very seemly of me to leave you two alone."  
  
Corrine merely looked at her mother with sad eyes even though she knew that wasn't going to work. It was all on Toma's shoulders to get private time for them to talk. So all she could do was hope that Toma's charm was particularly high tonight.  
  
"Please Mrs. Graie. Corrine is safe in my hands, you should know this after all the years that I have known her and Fiona." Toma said, knowing that he would earn extra points toward the cause with the mere fact that he mentioned Fiona's name in the same sentance.  
  
"Well I suppose I can allow a few minutes of private time because after all you are a friend of the family." Mrs. Graie smiled in a maternal way. Toma continued to smile but it turned quickly fake and he felt queasy. It disgusted him that she could be so maternal to everyone save Corrine. It was one thing to pick favorites between daughters but to prefer strangers to said daughter was completely wrong.  
  
"Thank you Mrs. Graie. I won't keep Corrine to myself for very long. Give me at least twenty minutes."  
  
Corrine's mother made a slight nod and then disappeared into her back room, leaving Toma and Corrine alone together. 


	6. Chapter Five: An Unreasonable Request

(Authors Comments: This was a fairly difficult chapter to write, I think it took me around.. oh, 3 and 4 days. In this chapter I strugged to find the relationship between Toma Levin and Corrine Graie, I also had to impart  
other things. I really do like Toma and I realize that I gave him a "rough" deal in this. I make it up to him though in Setzer and Violetta's  
story.)  
  
Chapter Five  
  
"Hear the passion in their voices,  
See the heaven in their eyes.  
The hopes and schemes and fallen dreams,  
Of less the paradise."  
-Arcadia, "The Promise"  
  
It was only once that Mrs. Graie softly shut the door of her room behind her did the silence finally break and the two was given enough air to speak. After all it as safer without listening ears or the watchful eyes of propriety to shoot them and their naturally affectionate nature toward each other down. Alone they could speak without censure. Corrine moved from her chair to the couch where it was more comfortable and she could curl up with the mass of quilts and pillows, she patted the spot beside her and motioned to Toma with invitation apparent in her beautifully luminous eyes. She had been quick to move and so did Toma follow suit and he was sitting down in a matter of seconds.  
  
With a sideways glance he drank in Corrine's elven face, the idealistic winter queen with those locks like a blanket of snow against her peach tinged skin. He felt that familar clench of longing run through his heart. Could it be fair that she, the woman that he loved, was destined to die before she reached full flower? In his travels he had never sought to forget her, rather he did everything to honor her name. She was figuratively if not literally his muse and he had oh so hoped to have taken her on some of his journeys, shown her things that would of made her eyes light up with child-like wonder and driven her to tears at the sheer beauty. Justify it to himself any way he wanted to, it could never be, it would never be at all. Fate had seen to that.  
  
"I thought she would never leave." Toma joked comically. Despite general manners in this region, he took the uncouth way out and propped his feet up on the dendoro pine coffee table with casual grace.  
  
"Once mother starts talking about Fiona, it is difficult to get her to stop. I was confident in your abilities though. You have a mercurial charm that always seems to work on mother and Fiona. I don't see how you do it." Corrine said in complete admiration of the man who had always been like a brother to her, in fact the closest person to her after her father had died. Honestly she could say that she would trust Toma with anything, anything under the sun.  
  
Toma puffed up like hte proverbial peacock and stretched his arms over the back of the couch. His ego inflated with the compliment and it showed no sign of decreasing in the slightest. "I try, I really do." Your mother is a tough audience to play to because she asks too many questions. Gradually I get caught up in my answer weaving that I fear she will catch me tripping in the threads."  
  
"You all but grew up in this household and she knows you like her own son. In fact if her and Fiona had their way so long ago, Fiona would of been Mrs. Levin." Corrine said quite honestly as she curled up at Toma's side. It was her way of feeding off the virile warmth that he radiated in abundance.  
  
"Hell no, that wouldn't of happened! Fiona is a nice sort but I can picture her growing up to be just like your mother and it would of scared the hell out of me. In a few years Marco can consider himself hen-pecked and thouroughly chained to her apron strings. Not to say that he doesn't deserve it because he does, after all he chose to court Fiona." Toma laughed out softly and let his arm slide down the couch until it was lightly wrapped around her shoulder. As smooth as he could get it though he knew that Corrine would take it as a brotherly gesture. It was better on both parties if she thought that, perhaps it would be better for him if he started believing it himself.  
  
"I am so glad that I don't have to worry about marriage and children. To me it seems like more trouble then it is worth." Corrine stated simply as she rested her head against his shoulder and inhaled the woodsy scent of him.  
  
"Why do you say that, Kitten?" Toma inquired with nonchalance though inwardly he felt his heart -almost- stop. He was graced with the perception that she knew. Where else could a remark of such cloaked bleakness have stemmed. From what Toma had seen of the world, it was every village maiden's dream to get married and have children, wasn't it?  
  
"I am dying. I am not going to see my birthday much less the spring. I overheard the doctor and my mother talking while they thought that I was asleep. Eventually my body will weaken and then just stop like that."  
  
Now what amazed Toma was the fact that Corrine said this with no emotion to her voice. It also gave him a fleeting chill of despair that hope was entirely out of question. Corrine had acccepted the lot that Fate had cast her -that- easily and in turn he should accept it as well. Bowing his head, Toma nodded and let a ragged sign escape from his lips.  
  
"I know. Fiona told me in the last missive that I recieved from her. I came down as soon as my employer would allow. I profess to being more then little concerned about how you were taking the news. Judging from your voice, surprisingly well I would imagine." Toma raked a few fingers through his hair, frustrated at his inability to do anything. A glance at Corrine revealed the perfect picture of haunting complacency. How did she do it?  
  
"I don't think that they wanted to tell me because they thought I would pull out the tears and demand attention from them. It is much easier to feign ignorance so that they don't have to pay too much attention to me." Corrine rationalized and tilted her head slightly on his shoulder. A few tears ran down her cheeks unbidden and she felt drawn to stifling them against the soft linen of Toma's shirt that lay just underneath her cheek.  
  
"Go ahead. Cry. This shirt is very old and won't balk at a good watering." Toma offered in his charmingly indulgent way. He was a master of hidden feelings, almost as adept as Magus but in a different way. While Magus used mystery to cloak them, Toma used the realm of humor and entertainment to throw people off his trail. Corrine half laughed, half sobbed as she buried her face against the shirt. In the space of a few minutes she quieted down but regardless she shivered like a newborn kitten made vulnerable without a mother. Such a gesture only drew out Toma's protective instincts in greater force and he wrapped both arms around Corrine to draw her closer. "You shouldn't have to bear this alone, Cori. If you had only written me, I would of stopped whatever it is that I was doing and come home to see you. Nothing could of stopped me, not even Magus."  
  
"I didn't want to worry you." Corrine hiccuped and felt somewhat sheepish for this display of emotions. "You have so much fun and adventures that I would of felt bad had I taken that away from you."  
  
"Screw that! It is easy to wander and I can do that any day I damn well please. However you are important to me and had I not found out from Fiona and you had died, I would of felt guilty for not making time to see you. In every sense of the word I would of felt guiltier." Toma whispered into Corrine's elven tipped ear, his breath warm and comforting.  
  
"Please don't tell them that I know. I do not want to cause trouble because they are so busy concentrating on the birth of Fiona's children and I certainly don't want to throw a wrench in that pleasure." Corrine pleaded.  
  
One thing Toma had learned in this life was that he could never resist those amethyst eyes.. especially when she was asking for something that she wished for at the very bottom of her soul. Oh, this was the exact way that she had gotten candy and treats out of him during church. If she only knew the power she so easily wielded.  
  
"Your secret is safe with me, Kitten. Which reminds me that I have a proposition for you, it is something that you don't have any obligation to accept. Unfortunately I am honor bound by Magus to ask." Toma said as he brushed his fingers against Corrine's hair. These were the times when he felt the inexplicable urge to settle down but knowing his luck, he would remain a wanderer until the day he died.  
  
"What is it?" It felt right to be in arms that were so full of masculine protection. In the reality of this moment, death was nonexistant.  
  
"Magus needs a virgin." Toma said, cautiously foraying into the subject. Evidentally it wasn't cautious enough because Corrine's eyes widened in shock as she reached for heavy tasseled pillow and started flailing it around in the general vicinity of Toma.  
  
"Excuse me?!?" Corrine said with a great deal of indignant female rage. The force of her blows sent him scampering off the couch and onto the floor. He hit the ground with a thud and groaned from the sharp pain in his ass where the exact contact point betwixt him and the ground was.  
  
"Wait! Here me out! I didn't mean it in the way that you took it! Magus does not need a virgin like -that-." Toma protested as Corrine waved the pillow threateningly. "Don't hit me!" Sometimes it was so hard to avoid violence and pain.  
  
"How does he need one? Last time I checked, there was only one way I can think of, Toma Levin." Corrine said as she lunged off the couch trying to hit Toma across the head once again. She lost balance and hurtled to the floor with a tiny squeak of surprise.  
  
Easy it was for Toma to anticipate what would happen and so he held out his arms and caught her conveniently, those toned muscles were good for something evidentally.  
  
"Be careful! I don't want you to hurt yourself." He chastised as he tapped the tip of her pert nose with his forefinger. "You desire an explanation and an explanation you shall get. Yes, Magus needs a virgin but he needs her for a magic ritual that he is conducting."  
  
"Please tell me more, Toma." Corrine's attention had been caught clearly.  
  
"He needs the souls of a hero, a wiseman and a virgin in order to summon Lavos.. Such a being destroyed Magus's family when he was young and then burrowed himself under the earth to start feeding on the energy of the world and its people. Magus is partially driven by wanting to save the world such a fate as to be Lavos breakfast but then of course he is driven by revenge. He was close to his sister, Schala." Toma related the story and Corrine listened. The story continued when Corrine nodded her head for Toma to go on. "The souls will create a dimension that will summon Lavos but nevertheless Magus must have them. Magus requested that I find him a sickly village maiden that wouldn't live for very long and very foolishly I thought about you. I should of figured that he would read my mind but at the time I wasn't thinking. He coerced me into putting a request to you and I told him that I would mention it but I couldn't guarentee anything."  
  
"I see." Corrine was full of mixed feelings. First side of her wanted to do it, wanted to help Magus in any small way that she could. Life was useless to her now, it served no more purpose but to eventually kill her. Wasn't it better at any rate that she be chosen then some healthy village girl that had her whole life in front of her? Nevertheless there was a strong part of her that didn't want to die sooner then fate intended her to. She wanted to cherish every sunrise, every moment til her last breath. Life was a gift no matter how short it was wrapped. She had been lucky enough to realize that she could make every moment count until her last leaf fell from the tree.  
  
"Your hesitation cannot be blamed and if I were in the same situation I would feel equal reservations. However I had to ask before we jumped to subjects of a more pleasant nature." Toma said as he picked her up off the floor and sat down on the couch, holding her in the circle of his arms.  
  
"I.." Corrine began to say softly. Thinking of what she wanted to say, she twirled a lock of hair around her fingers. "I've always wanted to meet Magus. That has been a dream that I thought would never come true. If I refuse this opportunity then I will be kicking myself until the day that I die."  
  
"Does it even matter that you will be a victim of his cause? What if you will have died in vain for absolutely nothing?" Toma questioned. A deep lingering part of him didn't want Corrine to go through with it, arguing there was still a shred of hope that lingered however faint it might be right now.  
  
"I will be the judge of that when I meet him." Corrine replied quietly. It wasn't a tone of voice that Toma could cast arguments against. That voice soothed the savage beast of his sorrow and made him believe that no matter what the outcome; everything was going to be okay.  
  
"It is decided then, just like that?"  
  
"I don't want to be here when I die. I don't want Fiona and mother to look down at me with mock pity in their eyes and say things that they do not mean, Tis better to go with you and accomplish something that perhaps will make me feel like my life has not been lived in vain, that I did something worthy with my last moments on this earth."  
  
"You did something worthy, Corrine. You were born." Toma once again argued. His tone of voice sending Corrine out of his arms. Lack of understanding driving the rift where nothing else could dare travel.  
  
"That is not enough for me. Have I really lived? No, I have only felt like a visitor on this planet. Life is supposed to be a spectator sport, something to participate in but I have been nothing if not the audience. A few nights ago I sat at my window and watched children play. I was removed from it, and not even familar with the games that they were playing. I exist like the violets outside in the garden, no purpose but to watch and then eventually wither." Corrine walked over to the window to look out at the night. Crystal snowflakes were flurrying through the air and covering everything it chanced upon with immaculate whiteness. When she woke up in the morning she would likely be blinded by the light playing upon the snow but her melancholy stifled all the joy she could take in the snowing.  
  
"For some people, being born is enough. You have influenced my life in ways that I can't even fathom, you have left your imprint in my heart and nothing, not even your death, can alter that." Toma defended heatedly. Secretly in his heart he hoped that those words would send her back to his arms and all the confessions from his soul would come pouring out. Had she turned around and ran to embrace him, he would of told her that he loved her and it would of been very easy to say those words in the thick of tension and anxieties that surrounded them. However Corrine stayed there and wrapped her arms around herself to keep the cold from spilling in. Her back was turned to Toma and she saw nothing save what was hiding in her soul, the reflection of the snow saw to that. The moment had disappeared and the door closed softly against the moment. Needless to say Toma mentally kicked himself and his so called 'bravery'.  
  
"You don't need me, Toma. You have lived your majority roaming the earth, exploring uncharted territory, and living your life. Coincidentally you make time to come visit me and for that I am thankful but when I die you will mourn.. and then you will move on with fond memories of me. You and sadness have never been at war with each other." Corrine smiled just a bit and turned around to fixate Toma with a fairly brave smile. Her eyes sparkled as much as they could under the innate sadness that she was expiriencing.  
  
"I don't need you... but I will miss you." Toma nodded solemnly and gave her the quinessential puppy eyes and small pout. It was a ploy to bring reality to that smile and it worked.  
  
"You don't need me but I feel that Magus does." Corrine nodded and walked over to the couch to perch at the edge. She made no move to scoot toward Toma as if somehow she knew that it wouldn't make things easier in the long run. "It is hard to lose family that you care about and nothing can justify that loss. If I can help him with destroying the parasite that took his family away from him then so be it, I will. At least I want him to know that I sympathize with him. Perhaps he will also learn that they will always be there, deep in your heart, living every breath that you breathe. Just like my father has been there for me."  
  
"I support you Corrine and I will take you to Raven Wing's Fortress. No questions asked and no more pleading with you." Toma chuckled though inwardly he was crying. Easy enough to mask the tears underneath a smile, it was all apart of being the eternal 'nice guy'.  
  
"Thank you." Corrine bestowed upon him a radient smile and reached over to clasp her hand with his. "Your support means the world to me. Sometimes I almost imagine that I am as brave as you through you."  
  
~* "You are braver than I. It is you that do not need me."*~ Toma thought despondantly. His eyes caressed all her fragile features and etched them onto a little piece of his soul. It somewhat made him feel better to realize that he had a good two more weeks to do it but he wasn't going to wait til the last minute. Every moment would be cherished. "Enough of this sappy stuff. The real matter at hand is how to get you out of this house with mininum questions asked." Toma reverted to seriousness or at least another less depressing form of it. "You will be staying at Raven Wing's Fortress until a few days before the Zeal moon and I have been tasked with bringing you there should you choose to go through with the ritual. I have Magus's horse and carriage lodged at the posting house for right now and then we cross the channel in his ship. Estimated time of arrival is 2 days due to the weather acting against the waters, it is just an inconvenience that we must get through. Magus was sure to make all the plans for me -except- sneaking you out. That lies fully on my shoulders though."  
  
"Mother will be the difficult one to pull the covers over. Too many questions and zero approval, I can see it now." Corrine bit her lower lip nervously and folded her hands in her lap.  
  
"Screw her approval because I am not gonna get it. All she will do is harp on me about the impropriety of the situation. Tell me, how fast can you get your bags packed? That is without drawing undue attention." Toma leaned forward on the couch and thought out a simple plan in his mind, it wasn't really all that daring and expeditious. Just a matter of sneaking out without notice.  
  
"A few clothes, a few childhood trinkets and my doll. It won't fill up but one suitcase however it will be tough to sneak out of the house without waking my mother up." Corrine's voice lowered to a whisper in response to the intrigue of it all. For the longest time she had wanted an adventure like this and she was going to soak it up for all it was worth.  
  
"Two hours should do it. It will give you time to pack and wait until your mother falls back asleep. At 4 am drag your bags outside to the gate and I will be around shortly with the carriage to pick you up. We should reach Truce Cove by noon which is a few hours from scheduled departure time."  
  
"Why Truce and not Domino?"  
  
"His ship is distinctive and it does not help whatsoever that he is a wanted man on the continent. He thought that it would be better to avoid attention and I can't say that I disagree. I think he has a good point." Toma nodded and then glanced over toward Mrs. Graie's shut door apprehensively. "We should say our goodbyes now because I want to leave before she emmerges." Toma downed the rest of his cider hurridly and then set it down on the tray beside Corrine's untouched cup.  
  
Corrine had gotten up from the couch and picked up the tray in order to take it out to the kitchen. "I promise that I will be outside at four." She looked the picture of domesticity and it was such a picture that Toma had kept locked up in his heart where the treasure therein dwelled. Grabbing his cloak, he wrapped it around his shoulders and then reached for his hat to set it on his head. Before Corrine could protest, he walked to her side and placed the lightest kiss against her cheek. It was all he feared he could get away with without Corrine questioning his motives.  
  
~* "I am like a brother. Good reliable Toma Levin." *~ He sighed inwardly but smiled outwardly.  
  
"I will be anxiously awaiting your presence, M'lady." He murmured with a swaggering bow that was meant to look funny and the floppy hat that he wore increased the effect twofold.  
  
Corrine laughed and then shoo'ed him toward the door with a slender hand. Her eyes danced of their own free will and continued to dance even when he slipped out the of the house stealthily. With her company gone she took the tray out to the kitchen, intent on getting the dishes done before she went to her room to pack up her few belongings.  
  
The kitchen light flooded the small cottage and spread a comforting homey warmth that Corrine preffered. She was going to miss this cottage where she spent all of her childhood. There were so many memories contained within the walls. Memories that were both filled with happiness and laced with sorrow. Soon she would be building new and different memories of a place that wasn't so familiar. Most importantly she was going to meet Magus, that thought thrilled her even though she tried to suppress the shiver overtaking her at the realization of what she had to do to meet him.  
  
Through the years she had heard stories of the fabled 'Lord of Monsters' who lived on the Medina Continent. They were stories filled with dark deeds and arcane magic. Exactly the type of man that could not be redeemed by anything, a lone rebel against the world.  
  
Corrine's belief however was that he wasn't as black as the general population painted him. The fact that he was doing this whole ritual to avenge his family reinforced Corrine's belief. One that cared for his family could be justified in such woeful violence. Certainly it wasn't acceptable behavior but sadness could drive the weary to doing things that weren't often right. It didn't mirror the man but rather the tortured soul within.  
  
She ran the cup underneath the water and scrubbed it out with a soap- lathed sponge, pretending not to notice with the door to her mother's room opened up and she emmerged.  
  
Corrine's mother too one glance at the empty living room and then huffed in affronted irritation.  
  
"Where did Toma go?" Surely he couldn't of left without saying goodbye, that was very rude of him." She bustled around the kitchen, ignoring the work that Corrine was doing there.  
  
"Toma was tired and so he hastened back to the Inn. It is late after all." Corrine murmured nonchalantly as she stored the wooden cups away on the top shelf with all the other glasses. Closing the door, she then walked to the pantry and peeked inside. Briefly she pondered the notion of packing a basket of food so that they did not have to stop for breakfast. Knowing Toma, he would want to make sure that she had food in her stomach before they left out.  
  
"Is he coming back tomorrow? I have to contact Fiona so that they can have a nice chat whenrever they can get a chance." Mrs. Graie said with the pre-requisite pushiness.  
  
Only then did Corrine truly realize that what Toma and Magus offered her would be like manna from heaven.  
  
"He didn't mention anything to that extent but you know how he is, very unpredictable." Corrine smiled as she reached in the cupboard to grab the jar of strawberry jam, shutting the door behind her and then carrying them into her room to store them on the dresser for later. She didn't bother to cloak her actions because no one in her household ever questioned what she did.  
  
"That is why I am glad Fiona didn't marry him. He would of left her for all manner of hare-brained adventures. My opinion is that once a man is married he should stay home with his family."  
  
"Basically he should not be like father."  
  
"Your father was inconsiderate to a fault. Always traveling off to god knows where. Home for a few days and then gone like the inconsistant wind."  
  
"Father brought us home many different things. Material for dresses, books, gardening supplies, food staples. How can you say that he did -nothing- and his traveling was for his own pleasure?" Corrine turned around to look at her mother with flashing eyes that radiated both hurt and anger.  
  
"He brought all the best things for you and excluded Fiona most of the time. A shame that he couldn't treat both of you equally, it was no secret that he loved you better."  
  
"I suppose that is the reason that you love Fiona better then me." Corrine brought up that subject conversationally. Reaching for a loaf of bread, she tucked it underneath her arm to take it back to her room. Bit by bit adding to the stash.  
  
"You know that is not the truth." Mrs. Graie said gruffily however she was hesitant to meet Corrine's gaze, that is if Corrine had been actually looking at her.  
  
"And you lie just to make me feel better." Corrine hit her mark with cold precision for Mrs. Graie noticibly winced.  
  
"If you had been more careful with you health, you wouldn't be so sick that you couldn't marry or have children."  
  
"Is that all that is important to you?" Corrine inquired incredulously. However looking back she should of expected a comment like that and she was a fool not to have. "You don't care about your daughters for anything more then the fact that they can serve as breeding farm animals. That makes me glad that I was always sick so I don't have to please you." Corrine's little outburst was unexpected, both to herself as well as to her mother. Mrs. Graie's jaw dropped what seemed a few feet as opposed to a few inches.  
  
"You were foolish and deserve what you get."  
  
"I would of been better had you treated me like a daughter rather then an unwelcome houseguest all my life. Father was the -only- one that treated me with love and once he died, what else was there to live for? I -threw- myself over his grave to get sick, to die however you summoned doctors to do what you could to keep me from dying. I was deprived of life, and you deprived me of death."  
  
Tension could be cut with a finely sharpened kitchen knife. Shock was evident on Mrs. Graie's face and quiet rebellion etched itself on Corrine's otherwise frail visage. The kitchen had suddenly become a battleground for the pent up emotions of yesterday.  
  
"What are you doing with all that." Mrs. Graie just noticed that Corrine had been carrying an abundance of food into her room and for lack of an outlet for her anger, she thought to heckle on yet another subject.  
  
"Toma and I are going on a picnic. I am just preparing it now so that I am not underfoot tomorrow morning. Far be it for me to bother you." Corrine said offhandedly though inwardly she was shaken. This talk had brought up so many issues that were unresolved, they skimmed over the opened wound like newly drawn blood.  
  
"I thought you said he wasn't coming back tomorrow." Corrine's mother immediately took the offensive.  
  
"He isn't coming here, I am meeting him there."  
  
"Fiona is going to be disappointed."  
  
"It is going to be her disappointment, no?" Corrine slammed the cupboard door shut abruptly.  
  
"Always your father's daughter, eh?"  
  
If there was a doubt in Corrine's mind about stealing away with Toma, this wiped it away instantly. Crystal tears slid down her cheek but she turned around so that her mother couldn't see her vulnerability. The silence continued all through the evening at least until Mrs. Graie disappeared into her room. Corrine only then allowed herself to go and pack her meager belongings in preparation for the trip. Her 'grand adventure'. 


	7. Chapter Six: A Journey's Beginning

(Author's Note: I know, I know.. Toma gets a bum deal. I really quite  
adore the Explorer and my gaming expirience was NEVER complete without drifting off toward him and shooting the wind. *A shame they didn't have more of him in the game..* He doesn't go alone forever though for all you Toma Fangirls! in Setzer and Violetta's story he does have a part to  
play and he finds the woman of his dreams. ))  
  
Chapter Six  
  
~"And I don't want the world to see me,  
Because I don't think that they'd understand.  
When everything's made to be broken,  
I just want you to know who I am."  
-Goo Goo Dolls, Iris ~  
  
Corrine had her nose pressed against the pane of glass that separated the entire outside from Corrine's delicate health. Scenery passed by in a whirlwind celebration of winter and her eyes followed it with little hidden admiration that was schooled upon having never left the boundaries of Domino Village her entire life. To be certain it was a new experience and one which she had been giddy anticipating if she would ever live it. True to form she was living it and that kept her wide awake when by all accounts she should of been asleep against the purple velvet seats of the carriage. Not to mention the cold weather did not want to touch her thanks due to the heavy fur blanket of undisclosed origin that lay across her lap and the hot water bottle resting underneath her feet.  
  
Toma had come by to pick her up as soon as the grandfather clock in her living room had struck four am and she had been outside soon after with her small cloth suitcase, a picnic basket, her doll Lisbette held under her arm and a cloak wrapped warmly about her shoulders. It was a beautiful carriage and her jaw had dropped in surprise, sure black crepe covered Magus's infamous crest but the entire thing was wood gilded silver and it delicately blended in with the fragile flakes of snow that danced down from the heavens. For a moment of unreality she couldn't believe that this coach was actually going to take her far from here. It couldn't possibly be meant for her but someone else, maybe a fairy princess. To see it coming through the snow with stealth like ease had been both a shock and a delight to her.  
  
Now here she was with not a care in the world. Completely trusting of the man above driving the carriage, what was there not to trust about Toma? He was the most frank and outspoken person that she knew and perhaps the most caring friend a girl could have. When she was a younger, Corrine had imagined herself infatuated enough to want to marry Toma and point in fact she still harbored in her heart a tiny little crush. She knew that it was impossible, better to leave Toma to a woman that still had a full healthy life ahead of her. All the while she could content herself with admiring from an emotional distance. It was safer that way.  
  
They had been traveling for the past 4 hours and had only recently traversed over the heavily guarded Truce Bridge that led onto the main continent. It was a good thing that the guards didn't take too much notice of the black crepe for if they had, it would of meant ill for Toma. However that obstacle was cleared with minimum effort and they were free to go on their merry way toward the destination that loomed in the future, a future that Corrine found it hard to comprehend.  
  
She settled underneath the blankets comfortably while looking out the window with wistful longing, realizing that this is all that she would remember from her last days on this earth. It was such cold crystalline snow that covered the ground liberally. How she would of loved to seen flowers push through to the earth again, struggling to overcome the winter.. And succeeding. If only she could emulate them, if only she had the strength.  
  
~* "Only the good die young? More apt would be the weak."*~ Corrine thought and while she didn't want to believe in the survival of the fittest she knew deep down inside that it was the truth. She had been sick all her life with no chance at a proper recovery, this road had been inevitable since the day she threw herself on her father's grave and stayed there. Her mother had been right; she brought it on herself in a masochistic act of self pity and melodramatic loss.  
  
The flatlands soon gave way to the craggy edges of the Truce Coastline, which Corrine had never seen before, and she was quite honestly amazed at how different the scenery was. Nothing like the area surrounding Domino Village and for that she was glad. She vaguely wondered what terrain would meet her on the Medina Continent, would it be dark and gloomy to mirror the man that she had heard so many stories about? Only time would tell and that time was drawing closer.  
  
They turned off from the main road and the carriage bumped across the rocks in the path. Corrine grabbed the armrest and steadied herself so that she wouldn't be sent flying to the other side. The only reason why she didn't complain was because she knew that Toma was doing his best at driving though she wasn't quite certain that he was the most proficient at driving a carriage.  
  
"Have a care, Toma!" She exclaimed even though she knew that Toma couldn't hear her. The picnic basket rattled with all the bottles, jars and containers of food that she had packed, hopefully none of them would break with the rapid jarring. This was the first time that she had ridden in a carriage with Toma driving. Hopefully it would be the last, at least if she had any say in it.  
  
The sea and the cliffs almost seemed to rise up closer as the speed overtook the carriage and gave it a will of its own. A smile floated over Corrine's petal shaped lips for even though the ride was bumpy, she didn't mind too much. In fact she was enjoying it with every fiber of life that was ensconced in her. Life was a journey and she was moving at a rapid pace toward the final destination, her final destination.  
  
The sea looked grayish calm and expansive despite the storm clouds that brewed over the surface. A few terns glided out through the air, letting their desolate shriek known to everyone. The melancholy beauty didn't leave the girl's heart untouched and she felt it keenly flow through her. Looking further out the window she spied the beginnings of a ship.. It wasn't overly large like some of the merchant ships that glided into Domino Bay during the spring and summer. Neither could it be likened to a simple fishing boat.  
  
The sails were a silver color that almost acted as a mirror to the hue of the sky. If it were not for the purple trim then the ship would of appeared as a solitary frame of oaken origin. Corrine gazed upon it with interest, trying to espy life on the vessel; there was no sign though. Was it a ghost ship cast to shore by the rough seas of winter? Corrine could only speculate that perhaps it was. As more of the ship panned into view, Corrine gasped at the detailed figurehead that graced the bow: A beautiful woman carved from oak, her eyes closed in a closed aura of serene repose. Her hair streamed out across the front, replacing shining locks were the fanged heads of vipers. Underneath her sylphish form a silver nameplate decorated the wood.  
  
~* "The Schala.. What a beautiful name." *~ Corrine thought even while her heart took a diving turn downward at the cruel beauty of such ornamentation. It was there that her eyes were rivited to. The ship loomed closer and closer and the horses neighed as if in subtle recognition; they started to slow down considerably until at last they reached a complete stop.  
  
This was it, this was the next phase in her journey. Corrine peeked her head out of the window and saw Toma jump down from his perch atop the carriage. Being lazy, she didn't make a move to get out, in fact she was the tiniest bit apprehensive.  
  
Toma strode over to the side door of the carriage and immediately came in nose to nose contact with Corrine, a situation that sent a chuckle of delight from him despite the sheer and utter coldness that he felt at the long drive. It didn't matter that he had been bundled up in voluminous furs the entire time. True cold had a way of bypassing such items of comfort.  
  
"Are you impressed, poppet?"  
  
"Shouldn't you ask me if I am alright first." Corrine reprimanded  
  
"I was driving fast, wasn't I?" Came the sheepish reply, the edges of Toma's eyes crinkled up with little repressed laughter.  
  
"Do you normally drive that fast? Of course it isn't like I mind overmuch."  
  
"That isn't -too- fast. I ride horses thrice faster then I drove that carriage."  
  
"Always my Toma." Corrine smiled as a pleasant flush swept across her cheeks and over the bridge of her nose. It didn't fool Toma for that he knew that the cold put that lying flush on her face. He wanted to believe otherwise, that it was feelings of a warmer nature that possessed her to slip that endearment with his name.  
  
"We really should get you inside where it is warmer." Toma opened the carriage door and then offered his hands to help Corrine alight. Gratefully she took them and jumped down. She lost her balance once her feet made contact with the ground and instinctively Toma reached out to clasp her to his chest, it was his only means of protecting her from taking a spill to the snowy ground.  
  
This was torture for Toma, to have his arms linger around her slim waist. Certainly it was only an attempt to steady her but with her this close he could percieve the faint lilac scent that wafted from her platinum locks. It teased his senses unbearably and there was nothing that he wanted better then to stand there and hold her.. forever.  
  
Corrine laughed it off with her characteristic good nature and moved out of his arms once her legs were more sure of themselves. It would of been easy to stay there but that would of made the whole situation harder in the long run. She dispelled the growing tension by reaching for her bags and pulling them toward the door, Toma however shoo'd her off to the side and took the job upon himself.  
  
"Perhaps I should go inside. It is getting a tad bit chilly out here." Corrine watched Toma take the suitcase out and then smiled when he drew out platinum-haired Lisbette and presented her with the doll with a flourishing and delightfully dramatic bow, the kind that gave her warm shivers.  
  
"Your court, M'lady Corrine. Now if you would carry the picnic basket, we will make our way to the deck." Toma promised as he walked a ways up the wooden pier and stood in front of the ship. Quickly he dropped the bag and cupped his hands around his mouth to create a make- shift megaphone.  
  
"Ahoy! Let down the plank!"  
  
"Corrine merely stood off toward the side and watched with avid curiousity, wondering who would be up there to greet there.. perhaps it was Magus.  
  
The voice that answered was in no way how she envisioned Magus's voice to be, it couldn't be him. Right?  
  
"Wonder if I don't -want- to, Mr. Levin." Came a hoarse voice. It was so gravelly that it left Corrine to wonder if the bearer of that voice took to eating sandpaper, certainly it was as grating.  
  
"That can't be Magus, right?" Corrine inquired as she tugged on Toma's sleeve.  
  
"Nah, that is Ozzie. He is a pest and constantly attempts to rile me up but it never works. Watch me! I have it all under control." Toma whispered back before continuing. "Let the plank down, Ozzie. Magus is expecting us.. You know this."  
  
"So you say.. are you really Toma Levin is what I am wanting to know. Sure you -look- like him but appearances can be decieving." A small green blobby head peeked over the railing of the ship and Corrine's eyes widened. It was a monster, an honest to goodness monster. She thought they only existed in the tales that Toma told but now she realized that there was indeed some truth to it. The eyes that set in the face were a striking golden topaz, the color of the forgotten sun and then gazed unblinkingly at first Toma and then they rested on her. She felt vaugely unsettled.  
  
"The master is going to Dark Matter you again if you are not careful. I suggest you let him board." A more sedated and monotone voice suggested as it cut into Ozzie's spiel.  
  
"Do you think I am afraid of Magus? Pshaw! No chance in hell." Ozzie smirked and rested his chubby elbows on the railing and continued to peer down at the two. He leered somewhat at the girl that stood at Toma's side. She was a trifle thin and pallid but she was a female and a lovely one at that, he could smell them a mile off. Any female was a viable target for Ozzie's lecherous behavior. "Hey Toma! Whose your friend? Can I play with her?"  
  
"Do you want me to slice your throat open Ozzie?" Toma called back conversationally. "Touch her and if Magus doesn't get to you first, then -I- will." His normally charming and animated voice was edged in a threat that -everyone- could sense, it was a warning so to speak. Ozzie's eyes widened just a fraction and his pupil's dilated into shining cat's eyes. That didn't daunt Toma, he took it all in stride and maintained his ground.  
  
Corrine could recall the only other time that she had heard Toma's voice reach that distinctive timbre and that was when she had been at the summer market last year and a few men accosted her, Toma intervened and asked them to meet him at the old Delagado Farmhouse. Needless to say she didn't have to worry about their improper advances ever again.  
  
"Lower the gangplank Ozzie. Toma doesn't look too receptive to your taunting today."  
  
"Errh." The little green Ozzie man growled as he disappeared from view. A squeaky cranking sound was heard as a wooden plank lowered slowly toward the pier. It was definitely rickety and in need of oil; but made of Dendoro pine it looked sturdy enough to walk on. Soon it touched down and Toma halted her from boarding by raising his hand to stop her.  
  
"Wait here while I take your bags and the picnic basket up there. Getting up to the ship is a balancing act within itself and the -last- thing I want you to do is trip head first into the South Sea." Toma cautioned before he set off in a light run up the plank, his arms were laden with the bag and the picnic basket.  
  
"Don't drop my belongings in the South Sea, Toma else I will toss you over the ship after them!" Corrine called out after Toma though secretly she was impressed at his agility.  
  
Ozzie's voice carried down toward the dock where Corrine stood. It was laden with amusement and humor, a comical chuckling accompanied by a snort shattered through the peace and quiet of the winter afternoon.  
  
"Now that's a girl after me own heart. Better keep a watch on her Toma, I might steal her away from you!" Ozzie har'd from out of nowhere.  
  
"Cori doesn't belong to anyone, most definitely not you. Why if I even see you approaching her.. " Toma threatened as he set down his burden on the deck. Corrine covered her smile with her mouth, it was amusing to hear Toma's protectiveness, as if she was a princess and he was her knight.  
  
"The girl is still waiting." The voice admonished, once again cutting into the conversation and trying to avoid any conflict between Ozzie and Toma. That voice Corrine could kind of see belonging to Magus, at least more so then Ozzie's scratchy drawl.  
  
"I haven't forgotten." Toma chuckled as he walked down the plank and back toward Corrine. "I would never forget you.." Toma said as he stood at the edge of the plank and offered his hand out for Corrine to clasp. In those warm chocolate brown depths, Corrine saw security and safety. There was no doubt about taking his hand for if she fell, he would be there to catch her or at the very least fall with her into the churning seas.  
  
*~ "Oh why does it have to be this way? Why do I have to pretend to ignore Toma's little endearments and my own feelings for him." Corrine thought to herself bitterly even though a serene smile still graced her petal soft lips. "It is better this way. Better to think of him as a brother then as a potential lover. The Elementals know that were I to acknowledge anything else, we would hurt more in the end." ~*  
  
"It -is- safe, right?" Corrine said as she placed her hand in his and coupled it with a comforting squeeze that transfered all her trust onto his shoulders. "I am also trusting that you won't do anything hare-brained in order to show off. I know how wonderful you are without you having to show me all the time." Corrine teased softly. It amused her to see the blush that heightened the color of his cheeks.  
  
"Make me gag!" Ozzie said and made some mock wretching noises. Human sentiment more often then not made Ozzie sick to his stomach. It was compounded with the girl's regard for Toma, making the nausea hit twice fold.  
  
"I promise you, it is perfectly safe. Not once have I dropped any maiden into the sea and I don't intend to start." Toma said, taking the walk up the gangplank slower for Corrine's benefit. After all there was no hurry, Magus had mentioned something about not wanting to leave out til later in the evening. If anything they would sail to a safer cove and wait there til dusk then sail on their merry way to the Medina Continent.  
  
"I have a feeling that I am the only maiden that you have been on this particular gangplank with." Corrine laughed softly and tried to ignore the precarious wobble of the gangplank or the subtle shivering of her limbs, a combination of the wintery cold and her sheer nervousness over being so high with the sea below. The prospect of falling in was not the first impression that she relished of this particular adventure.  
  
"Trust me, Corrine." Toma cajoled her up the plank, taking little steps and pondering asking Magus to put hand rails on the plank for such situations as these. If worse came to worse, he would take on the manual labor himself. Surely Magus couldn't say no to that, right?  
  
"I trust you Toma, I just don't trust my own legs." Corrine murmured, showing her fear just a little bit. Toma couldn't resist that nearly inaudible kittenish plea that tore through her voice and turned around, drawing one arm around her waist and the other around her knees. In one smooth motion her feet got knocked out from under her and she was held securely in Toma's arms.  
  
"Hold tight and close your eyes. Don't open then until I tell you to."  
  
That is exactly what Corrine did. Relaxing herself completely, she settled back into Toma's arms and languished in the security that his arms offered. For now with her eyes closed she didn't have to think about leaving Toma, she didn't have to think about the hazy future. There was just her, Toma's arms and darkness. A feeling much like one would expirience in the womb. It lent her no end of comfort.  
  
"Oh my goodness, the heroic -masculine- Toma Levin saves the day. Aren't we all impressed." Ozzie's sarcastic voice intercepted her silence. Corrine was tempted to open her eyes but just to be safe she waited for Toma to give the go ahead.  
  
"You can open your eyes now." Toma murmured against Corrine's ear before smirking over at Ozzie. "Didn't the lady say that I was wonderful without having to prove it?" This nonchalant reply was aimed straight for Ozzie's ire. There was no doubt that the animosity between both man and monster was testosterone driven. An inexplicable desire to one-up the other. Corrine looked between Ozzie and Toma and bit her lower lip somewhat nervously. She tugged at Toma's collar and he gently lowered her to the ground in response.  
  
Once her feet touched the ground, she breathed a sigh of steady relief and kept her hold around Toma's shoulders long enough so that she wouldn't spontaneously crumple toward the ground. It was a lucky thing that Toma let her linger there for as long as she needed it, most definitely she needed that strength to cling to in her weakest moments.  
  
Finally Corrine drew in a bit of strength that had been hovering just inside and smiled serenely toward Ozzie. It was an unspoken plea that she was only good at effecting, coupled with her limpid purple eyes it could be quite devastating. Very tentatively she released her embrace on Toma and revealed in her haste to grasp the wooden railing that she was in no way strong enough to hold herself up however her loathing to be reliant on someone else kept her hold from remaining on Toma. Ozzie thought nothing of Corrine's weakness and continued to leer at her with gold slitted eyes. He vaugely wondered why she didn't run but he didn't dwell on it too much.  
  
"Please don't argue. I know you two don't get along too well, and I know you are jealous of Toma but you have no reason to be. You are probably wonderful in your own special way, someone just has yet to discover it." Corrine said. Warmth lurked in her eyes though her visage was the very picture of solemnity.  
  
Ozzie puzzled over how the comment could of bowled him over like that when it only came from the mouth of a simple village maiden. In all Ozzie's life he had been treated with revulsion and a mediocrum of fear that was expected because of his heritage. Men either tried to hurt him physically or emotionally while women ran screaming or fainted dead away. Those were reactions that he was used to however those were absent in Corrine's quietly accepting perusal.  
  
A few feet away Slash also stood watching the group but his eyes were fastened solely on Corrine. As usual there was no emotion that perceptibly crossed over Slash's thin blue tinged face and his tall dark clothed stature blended in against whatever darkness he could find. His arms were crossed over his chest in a unconscious form of defense though just from scanning the girl's energy with his keen eyesight, he realized that there was no need to put up guards where she was concerned. Slash spoke little and let his actions do the talking, after all he was the observer of the monster trio and thereby gained himself a reputation as being an excellent judge of character. What he read in Corrine's energy was a purity that far surpassed that of any mortal that he had come across in his lifetime.. not even the most well-intentioned of them could boast of it. A cold wind passed over his snowy heart for he knew what was in store for the girl. Previously he had been completely apathetic toward it, now he was a mixture of varying degrees of emotion. Not all of them rested well with his conscience.  
  
Both of Magus's men were charmed whether they wanted it or not, though they certainly did.  
  
They were hungry for any acceptance or small gesture of love and to date had sated their hunger with the less gratifying morsels of tyranny and fear. The look of natural kindness in the girl's eyes was their heart's undoing and each's own way they lapped it up.  
  
All the while Toma noticed the considerable change in the tension on the deck and looked at Corrine. He knew instinctively where that change came from and he knew he couldn't keep Corrine's specialness to himself. That was more then apparent judging from the admiration that Magus's two most feared minions openly displayed. Sighing, Toma knew that he couldn't keep her hidden away though he certainly wanted to. Corrine was a treasure and he was her discoverer, at least where everyone on this ship was concerned. He was reluctant to give up Corrine's attentions after having recieved it nearly all of her life and most of his.  
  
"Well I suppose I can -try- to get along with Toma." Ozzie relented grudgingly and scuffed one foot against the polished surface of the deck.  
  
This drew a gasp of shock from Toma at Ozzie's sudden docility. Ozzie never reacted this way though it was evident that he was trying to play off any such mis-alignment of his initial character.  
  
"I suppose she will be wanting her bags taken to her quarters. I will be more then happy to do that." Slash offered quietly and took a few steps toward the small satchel that held all the girl's belongings. Ozzie's ear perked up as he watched Slash walk toward the bag. He toddled over, trying to get to the bag before Slash did. The clatter against the plankboards in the rush to get there felt like a herd of wild elephants. However right before Slash got to the bags, he stopped abruptly and watched as Ozzie tripped and skidded against the floor toward the bag.  
  
"You go ahead and get the bag. I will escort the girl." Slash said quietly as he turned and walked to Corrine's side, proving that Ozzie wasn't the brightest light in the house. With a smal l obedient bow he offered his arm, it was more then apparent his growing esteem for her.  
  
"Why thank you.. Slash is it?" Corrine inquired with a smile, wondering if perhaps she got the name right. Slash's skin around the cheeks turned a bright purple, the only indication that he was blushing. He nodded slightly, ever the taciturn and introspective creature. It was impossible for him to say much at all, just as soon would be remain silent until something came along that he thought worthy enough to mention.  
  
"Actually Slash. I would like to see Corrine to her room privately if I may. I promise I will give you the honors next time." Toma gritted his teeth with jealousy and masked it with a fairly affable smile. "There is a basket of goodies that you may take to the kitchen. Corrine packed them early this morning."  
  
Slash's face fell in disappointment for a fleeting second before it returned to consumate stocisim. Something that was not unusual for him. Lowering his arm, he stepped back and picked up the wicker picnic basket.  
  
"Harharhar! Thought you'd get the best of -me-, Slash! At least I get to touch her bags and even go to her room!" Ozzie lost no time in taunting his friend, in fact it was quite a habit of Ozzie's to laugh at anyone's misfortune. Well anyone -save- Magus. That would just as soon get him dark mattered as anything else.  
  
A man of little or no words, Slash bowed his head and then just as silently slipped away. Corrine and Toma didn't notice hims exit, only the fact that he was gone. Toma had to deflate Ozzie's dreams of granduer now the guilt of having taking way Slash's opportunity to escort Corrine set in. So Toma took the bag from Ozzie and grinned.  
  
"I am a strong man. I can get her bag. Why don't you, my little green friend, go and tell Magus that we have arrived safely and I will be in to see him after I help get Corrine situated. You would be such a dear sweet thing to do that for me." Toma chuckled and slung the bag over his shoulder. There was a mocking light that appeared in Toma's eyes, making it known that it was only a question of masculine ego. Clearly this was a battle between two male forces and Corrine could only stand aside and watch while they clashed. It was obvious that Toma had the upper hand.  
  
"So be it, Master Toma." Ozzie spat out with as much respect that he could muster which coincidentally wasn't very much respect at all. "I will see that Master Magus is made known of your presence." He then turned on his heels and walked toward an aboveboard cabin that overlooked the hull, he knocked a few times and then barged in, leaving Corrine to stare and Toma to laugh.  
  
"Was that really necessary?" Corrine looked up at Toma chastisingly and was slightly disappointed at Toma's treatment of Ozzie. "And what harm could it of done to have let Slash escort me to my room?"  
  
"I don't want to get you hurt."  
  
"This is my adventure. I want to live it like a woman and not an invalid. God knows I will die with both of those marks on my soul. Besides that, Slash didn't look like he would harm me."  
  
"What kind of judge of character are you? You haven't even seen outside of Domino Village much less half the people in it."  
  
"Clearly a better judge of character then you if you didn't see the hurt in Slash's eyes when you pushed him away." Corrine commented indignantly and folded her arms across her chest.  
  
Toma opened the door leading below deck and sighed at Corrine's accusations for they hit their mark quite aptly. She had always been the one with empathy, a quality that he knew would take years to develop in himself. Wasn't Corrine the one that could sense hurt and pain in others, who could inspire the trust and devotion of most animals with her maternal instincts. Yet he let jealousy get in the way of that, it tore at his soul and he found it hard to glance over his shoulder and look at her. They went below deck and he flicked on the light switch of the hallway so that the oaken floors and walls were illuminated.  
  
"Look, I am sorry. If it makes you feel better, I will leave myself out of your affairs from here on out." Toma said quietly as he moved toward the door at the end of the hallway and tried the gilded knob. It opened easily.  
  
"You know I don't want that, Toma. Can you not see that the only thing I want is for you to get along with Ozzie and Slash. They mean well, I can see it in their eyes." Corrine said with unyeilding patience. For she sensed that even while Toma was acting as her protector, there lay an underscored animosity between them that stemmed beyond her and into some unknown arena.  
  
Toma pretended not to hear Corrine as he opened the door to the cabin. Very gently he set the bags in the cabin and then flicked on the light. It was a simple room yet large and clean. Warm air was radiating from the stove heater in the corner, the bed was dressed with fresh linens and a comforter of snow white while there was a little rocking chair in the corner and on the wood table beside it sat a small stack of books.  
  
"I told Magus that you liked to read so he put some books in there for you." Toma said softly, acting like the repentant little puppy, thouroughly chastised. "This is the master suite of the cabin, Magus gave it to you because he doesn't use it.. he prefers the captain's cabin up top."  
  
Corrine turned around in the cabin a few times before stopping to face Toma, a wistful smile on her face. "Thank you Toma. I didn't mean to get at you. Will you come get me later so that I may explore the ship?" Corrine smiled softly and then moved to perch on the edge of the bed, pondering a nap.  
  
"Of course!" Toma couldn't help but grin, his guilt all but forgotten.  
  
"And perhaps Sir Slash and Sir Ozzie may come with us?"  
  
"After I get done speaking with Magus I will go down and talk to Slash about it." Toma decided to take the side of the 'better' creature. There was no way in hell that he was bowing down to Ozzie's whims, no matter what Corrine said.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
Once Toma shut the door, Corrine settled back against the bed and looked around. The heater lent warmth to the room after such a biting cold that she had expirienced once she stepped out of the carriage. Closing her eyes almost instantly caused her to drift off into some surreal sub- dreamland in which she floated, carried on the wings of anticipation and expectation. 


	8. Chapter Seven: Once you Meet Her

((Author's Note: This was probably the easiest chapter for me to write.  
The dynamics between Corrine and Magus are always fairly easy to write.  
This is the first time they ever looked upon each other. And that look  
will take them through several ages, several books. But I digress.  
Enjoy.))  
  
Chapter Seven  
  
"Never put my trust in fate,  
Surprises do arrive so late.  
Why should I be surprised by you."  
-Arcadia, The Flame  
  
~* How long have I been in the cabin for? *~ Magus wondered to himself when he finally dragged his eyes away from the large tome that rested on his lap, the words had ceased to be and in their place comprehension had chosen to infiltrate his mind. When he became absorbed in something, the passage of time eluded him, hours and days became one and the same and he would of been none the wiser against their tricks. Candles lit around the spacious quarters flickered in some eerie dance and cast shadows that reached into the utmost corners yet for all that it provided him with enough illumination that he needed should he choose to read.  
  
However once his concentration flickered out like a proverbial candle, he couldn't summoun it back just like that. After all it was his body's way of telling him that he needed to move on to something new else he burn himself out. He pronounced himself a lost cause and got up from his comfortable wing chair, walking over to his desk with lazy lawn coupled by a feline-like stretch toward the ceiling. A hungry rumbling he felt in his stomach and knew it was soon time to eat but while he was hungry he was reluctant to sit at the same table with Toma's little virgin and be the courteous host.. sociable was sorely pushing his limit he had told Toma earlier this afternoon. To put it plainly, the prospect held little appeal to Magus, he was of the mind to cancel his presence at dinner. They certainly wouldn't miss him and it would no doubt be a more pleasant atmosphere for the girl, however just as Toma had been honor bound to ask the girl, so he was similarly tied to act the host. For anyone else he would have broken the promise long since, this was Toma though and he couldn't revoke his word to the man that he considered his best friend.  
  
His mind drifted back to his and Toma's meeting here in the the office a few hours back. Oh, how pathetic Toma had looked sitting there in the wing chair beside the fire, refusing to speak save for the barest necessities. Magus was of an opinion that Toma was just doing it to make him feel sorry for him but he said nothing, just lent a listening ear in case Toma wanted to vent. Sympathetic he knew he could not entirely be, after all there was a great deal of hidden mockery mirroring the surface of his thoughts and had he chosen to air them out, likely Toma would of never spoken to him again. Sometimes it was wiser to keep the mouth shut, remaining taciturn in given situations, that never hurt one.  
  
Misgivings still hovered in Magus' mind fed by an overly active imagination. All the female archetypes that he detested came back to step on his nerves and haunt him before the actual meeting took place. Oh ~*gods I hope she is not a bubble head, might as well give me a sword to run myself through with*~ Magus thought as his stomach took a turn downward at the thought of trying to converse with a woman capable of no rational thought. ~*Or maybe the domineering type, bossy to a fault. If she tries to run my household I swear I will have words with her, and none of them pleasant*~ He put her into both categories in his mind and sincerely hoped she was wise enough not to speak as well as keep out of his affairs.  
  
That did it, he did not want to go to dinner despite the fact that Slash had put on the menu all of his favorite dishes. ~*Would food be enough to tolerate sitting through an hour of gods knew what?*~ Very carefully he weighed the options in his mind and came to the calculated conclusion that it might not be possible. Easily he could make his excuses and plead a headache, the girl would still exist when they arrived at the fortress. Only then he would begin to play the extremely reluctant host however for right now he needed another evening of total solitude without interruptions from -anyone-.  
  
He reached toward the bellpull that was put at the right hand side of his desk and gave it a swift tug. It was designed to sound in Ozzie and Slash's quarters to notify them that he required of their presence. And so he waited.  
  
And he waited some more.  
  
After a while he tugged the bellpull again, this time a bit roughly.  
  
There was still no response.  
  
To say that he was angry was a lie, he had been angry after the second pull. Being ignored by his servants was icing on the cake and it could be said that now he was in a controlled albeit seething rage. Mad enough to not stop at dark mattering Ozzie but Slash as well. Magus pushed himself up from his desk accompanied by a harsh growl of impatience. He did not think it was over-reacting, it was service that he was expecting. ~*And service I will damn well get!*~ the slamming of his cabin door punctuated that thought adequately.  
  
Due to the heat of his anger he barely felt the wave of coldness that hit his skin once he stepped out into the dusky evening. The sun had set only a few moments before so there was still a lingering bit of light embraced by the sky. Such beauty of nature was lost on him as he searched around the deck for the something to yell at, no doubt he would of yelled at Toma had he seen him up here, or at least given him a scathing look to end all looks.  
  
His hands clenched at their respective sides and he walked to the railing to look out over the sea, such a gesture of reflection marred by the minor annoyance etched on his visage. To tbe best of his knowledge, Ozzie could not swim and he could picture that Ozzie probably did something incredibly stupid and then Slash jumped in to save him. Ozzie in his hysterica could of dragged Slash to a watery grave, the blackest part of his already morbid mind thought out that possibility. It did seem viable to him and it cooled down his anger just a little bit.  
  
A bubble of laughter echoing in the air broke through the web of his thoughts, startling him just a bit. Hearing Ozzie's familar guffaw sent a derisive smirk to play across his lips and it took all the willpower within him not to turn around and throw a Dark Matter at Ozzie out of the blue. Poise was in his form as he slowly spun on his hells and walked in the general direction of such a racket. Inwardly he was cataloging through the various spells that he had stored up in his memorized repertoire but he wouldn't let anyone else guess that judging from the impassive expression on his face.  
  
He peered over the railing as his eyes zero'd in on Ozzie instinctively. The fat green blob was hard to miss despite the white robes that blended in neatly with the immaculate drifts of snow. ~*What is that he is holding, a snowball? Is that a grin on his face?*~ Magus thought incredulously as his eyes narrowed. ~*This isn't playtime, gods does it look like I run a nursery?*~ He thought to himself as he saw Slash standing there as well. It was no surprise that Slash had taken a less active role, chosing to stand there and watch silently, his arms folded across his chest and a strangely unfamiliar smile playing over his lips.  
  
Never had Magus seen a smile on Slash's face nor was he ever so eager to be out associating with humans. ~*Have I gone mad?*~ Magus was inclined to wonder but he couldn't drag his eyes away from this tableaux of merrymaking that lay within his line of vision. There was Toma kneeling down on the ground, packing a huge snowball together between his hands. Laughter lurked in his eyes, the kind of laughter that in a small way Magus was envious of. When had Toma ever taken to sporting around with Ozzie and Slash? Usually Ozzie and Toma treated each other with hotly biting words but not now, now there was a truce of sorts. Toma threw the snowball and it went hurtling through the air in the direction of Ozzie, it missed its mark and landed a few feet away from the large green headed target.  
  
"Proof that you have bad aim, Toma. I always knew it." A lilting female's voice rose above the rest of the clatter and shouts between Ozzie and Toma. It was a siren's voice, soft and melodious, enough to stop Magus' heart for the span of a moment and cause him to realize that he had a heart to begin with. ~*Toma's virgin..*~ Magus thought as he turned his scrutiny to her with interest. No longer did he remember his purpose for coming outside, so lost was he in the observation of these people that he barely even knew.  
  
"I don't have bad aim." Toma pouted as he ducked to gather more snow.  
  
Magus saw a voluminous black cloak, covering the girl so well that her features were not easily percieved. Granted a few tendrils of whispy snow silver hair pekeed out from under the hood and a glimmer of a clear complexion that was flushed with exertion were all that he could make out. Lurking in him though was a otherworldly desire to see her, hear her, find out for himself if she was indeed as beautiful as Toma made her out to be, all these numerous thoughts from merely hearing her voice. Such thoughts he tried to shove aside.  
  
Corrine glanced up toward the skip and immediately Magus' own brown eyes clashed with vivid purple depths that he likened to the knowing shine of age old amethysts and for a moment he had the impulse to step back from such a forcefully mystic quality. He knew his answer quite instantly, Corrine was indeed well deserving of all Toma's lauds. His hands gripped the railing til the knuckles turned white and he didn't even realize that he was doing it. Ever fiber of his mind was cast upon the woman standing there and he was helpless to do anything -but- stare.  
  
Softly, enigmatically she smiled and a magic passed between them, heightened by the winter wind that blew gently through her cloak and his chameleon hair. Magus dared not smile though he had the unnerving urge to do so. ~*How can she look so completely guileless?*~ Magus wondered and for a sweet moment, he forgot his past, forgot that she even knew anything about him, he even forgot what was to be in the near future. He was a man, and she was a woman and that was all that mattered.  
  
Toma saw the way they held each other in their gaze and he dropped the snowball that he had started to pack. It crumpled to the ground in much the same fashion as his heart did. If there was only two things which he recognized, it was the frank look of admiration in Corrine's eyes and the enigmatic expression that Magus wore when he was trying to appear uninterested. Every chance he thought he had went up in a smoky haze of yesterday, for if nothing happened now.. it would eventually. After that he would be shut out from both of them.  
  
Fleeting as it was, an idea flashed through his mind as he grasped up a few handfulls of powdery snow and shaped it into a soft sphere. The jealous suitor in him wanted to break that eye contact and somehow prevent what he saw as inevitable He aimed the snowball at Corrine and then let go, throwing it not so hard to hurt her but not so softly that it would land before hitting its destined mark.  
  
Ozzie saw Toma's hand spring out to throw it and he toddled over as fast as he could in order to take the hit for Corrine. Magus thought that perhaps it was so that Ozzie could win a few brownie points in Corrine's favor but he kept his musings deep inside his head where they rightly belonged.  
  
"I will save you, Lady Corrine!" Ozzie called out as he threw himself in front of the snowball and then fell to the ground with a resounding thud that closely resembled a little earthquake. Perhaps a bit of dramatics were employed but that was only to get extra kisses and cuddles. Sure as hell he was not aware of the mixed vibes that radiated from Toma, Magus or Corrine but that could no doubt be attributed to the fact that he was a largely self centered monster. "Owww.."  
  
Corrine and Magus did break eye contact at the sound of Ozzie's advent and eventual crash. She immediately fell to the snowy floor beside Ozzie and peered down at him and then her hand reached over to brush off the a shimmer of snowy fluff from his nose, causing him to sneeze.  
  
"Are you alright?" Corrine inquired with the utmost concern showing in her voice. "You really shouldn't of dived for that. It was just a silly little snowball."  
  
"Awww my head hurts. Can you please kiss it better?" Ozzie asked with wide golden puppy eyes.  
There was nothing for Corrine to do but drop a light kiss down onto Ozzie's shiny emerald head. She accompanied it by a soft laugh. "Is that better?"  
  
"Uhuh."  
  
Magus had smiled just a bit when he saw Ozzie get hit by a snowball however soon the smile wore away to be replaced with a look of extreme puzzlement at Ozzie's obviously lovesick behavior.. ~*What spell did this girl put my minions under?*~ Magus pondered, watching normally reclusive Slash appear at her side to offer his own help. These proceedings were given extreme scrutiny and yet he seasoned it with his own brand of disinterest.  
  
One thing became clear.  
  
He wasn't going to miss dinner.  
  
Nothing short of his death could keep him away. 


	9. Chapter Eight: Three of Hearts

{Author's Note: I have gotten quite a few very sparkling comments from readers in my email box, It is definitely nice to know that people love  
what I write. It is probably the sole motivation that I have to kick this stuff out. My Magus and Corrine muses -love- attention. Want more,  
by all means pester me! And leave comments! There is nothing more  
flattering to my ego *says this modestly*)  
  
Chapter Eight  
  
"Once I thought that I was in control,  
But that was just a trick of fate..  
Playing with my mind."  
-Duran Duran, "My Antartica"  
  
Corrine was sitting at the dressing table brushing through her hair to make sure it shone with winter's silver fire and at the least make herself somewhat presentable after the snow sport of the evening. She had come back on the ship with her hair in a tangled mess from all the snow that her hair had accumulated hence the real challenge had been to comb the mutinous tangles out. Toma had pushed her off to the room to straighten up for dinner with the admonishment that she was going to meet Magus and hence she should strive to make a good impression on him.  
  
No doubt was there in her mind that she wanted to. After all her mind was a little bit in awe of what happened out there in the snow drift. Never had she anticipated such a draining expirience as looking into his eyes and yet it wasn't what she had expected to say the least. ~*What was I expecting?*~ Corrine questioned as paused the brush midstroke and looked intently into the mirror at the girl reflected therein.  
  
~*I was not expecting what I saw. He was nothing more then a child in a man's body. Just as surely as I am a woman in a body that will never see the light of being anything more then a child.*~ Corrine bit her lower lip and furrowed her brows. It was saddening to think that the person reflected in the mirror would always remain skinny and delicate, possessing no real curves to think of. No matter that her face was elven and petite, her lips just lacked the sensuality that her mother and Fiona possessed. In so many ways she found herself lacking pitifully. ~*Toma says that I am beautiful but my beauty will be gone when I die. And while I live it will never evolve to maturity, it will remain childlike in its essence. -I- will remain a child*~ Corrine thought sorrowfully and set her brush down on the vanity. That was all she could see and it frightened her. The actual act of dying did not bother her at all, it was to die without knowing and enjoying the things that everyone else did. In the scheme of things she was getting jipped and a healthy part of her wanted to struggle at the lot that fate cast at her.  
  
~*You brought it on yourself, Corrine. You wanted this death and what you asked for, you got.*~ The voice was hers and yet she could also hear her mother speaking those same words. It brought down her calm anger and made her see how futile it was to resist and complain. With a resigned sigh she got up from the little chair and reached for her forest green dress that died up the front over a mass of ruffled petticoats and her linen shift shirt. The effect was altogether peasant however it was one of the best dresses that she had and while she didn't want to appear provincial, she knew that Magus would no doubt understand. Her family had never been wealthy and most often she had to fit into Fiona's hand-me- downs, altering them so that the bosom material didn't bag out or the waist didn't make her feel like she weas playing dress-up in adult clothing. Nimbility with a needle and thread was her only saving grace for it was by that gift alone that the clothes fit her lithe form well.  
  
Very simply she tied her hair back and carefully studied herself in the cheval glass. Somehow a few whisps of very fine hair struggled out of her bonds and framed the subtle elven curves of her face. There were times when she hated them for she didn't find her otherworldy features at all attractive, not in a world where a woman's beauty was based on earthly sensuality personified in undulating hips and the ripe full breasts ready for motherhood. Pushing those thoughts away she reached for the silver hair clips in her small jewelry case and used them to placate her hair.. A smile played over her rosebud lips as she remembered her father giving them to her and bading her to put them away in the bridal chest in the event that she should marry. Only a few weeks ago she had taken them out of their little velvet pouch and put them in her jewelry box for safe keeping. She had known by then that there would be no need for a trousseau. To her delight they did the job of stifling her curls quite well, sparkling as they nestled into her white hair.  
  
Satisfied with the results, Corrine went to the china pitcher and powl to wash her hands before the dinner meal. A knock sounded on the door and she glanced over her shoulders as she shock her hands of any excess water.  
  
"Yes?" Corrine reached for the lavender scented hand towel and thouroughly dried her hands against it, marveling at its softness.  
  
"Tis your escort, the dashing Toma Levin. Are you decent?" The voice on the other side of the door chuckled in amusement.  
  
"I don't suppose that is a request to come in." Corrine murmured as she walked over to the door to pull it open and then peeked out with purple eyes full of laughter.  
  
"Didn't want to catch you with snow in your ears." Toma grinned sheepishly. Corrine opened the door a little wider and looked over Toma with wonderment and just a little bit of teasing thrown in to cloak how impressed she was. This was the first time she saw Toma dressed up in something other then his traveling gear, his hair combed into submission and what was that nice woodsy smell? Was it cologne? She stood back and took in the crisp linen shirt and black wool breeches that clung to his slim hips. Soon she realized she was staring and turned around to supress her blush.  
  
"Never have I recalled you being so well dressed." Corrine smiled as she walked into the room to straighten up the vanity table.  
  
"I try to avoid it when possible however Magus is a snob and doesn't like me to be unkept when I sit down at his dinner table. He calls it bad manners." Toma said grumpily as he fidgeted slightly and looked into the room. It was so easier to barge into the room when he felt like himself in more comfortable clothes however these garments demanded that he act like a gentleman, hence his hesitation.  
  
"It seems to me that Magus has the right of it." Corrine smiled, arranging the decorative perfume bottles in a neat little row. Each vial filled with a different lovely scent, varying from roses to lilacs and gardenias. Through it all she had been drawn to apply a light scent of violets  
  
"Aww, let's not take Magus' side." Toma said petulantly. He didn't want to talk about Magus and most importantly he didn't want her to either. "Are you ready to go to dinner, my lady?" Toma offered his arm coupled with the dashing smile that was indeed his trademark. Corrine nervously smiled and it went straight to Toma's heart, endearing her further when she tentatively took his arm. ~*She still needs me*~ Toma thought with a joyous pang in his heart. "Don't worry about what Magus thinks, he tends to have really narrow minded views about most things. Just don't let his hawk gaze eat away at you or affect you in any way." Toma took one of Corrine's delicate pale hands in his own rough and tanned ones and then pulled her out of the room.  
  
"You and Magus are friends? Best friends, even?" Corrine asked, aware that Toma had been holed up in Magus' study for a good part of the afternoon.  
  
"We go four years back when he contacted me with a few odd jobs he wanted done. It is hard for anyone of his noteriety to get things accomplished you can imagine. On and on he kept summouning me and slowly but surely a friendly rapport established between us. Now whenever I am in the area I drop by for a visit, it isn't all about work any more." Toma said as they made their way up the narrow steps leading to the deck.  
  
"Do I look alright?" Corrine's voice bore testimony to her nerves even after Toma cautioned her not to feel that way around Magus.  
  
"Listen, my word might not really count for anything but I can attest that you are perfection in itself. If Magus tries to find any fault it is likely that he won't. You can't mess with that special beauty that you have, it is centered in your spirit." Toma blushed faintly and then opened the door leading to the deck, thankful that she couldn't see him or his disconcertion. Night had descended quickly and left its cold embrace to dominate over everything in its path.  
  
Corrine shivered however she knew that it was only a short walk to Magus' cabin, surely not long enough to truly feel the chill settling into her bones. Maybe it was only her nerves heightened by the extra stimulai of cold, the two feelings could of mingled to become one force to be reckoned with.  
  
"Maybe I am a little worried over the impression I make with Magus." Corrine admitted as she tugged at her lower lip with her teeth.  
  
"Magus doesn't matter and neither do I. In the end it is all about how confident you feel with yourself. Think yourself beautiful and so it shall be and everyone will think so as well." Toma said as he paused her right by the door and looked into her eyes with all seriousness. If there had been starlight in the sky, they would of been envious in the sparkle of his eyes. "Damn I should of been a motivational speaker, don't you agree." Toma snapped his fingers to prevent himself from growing too sappy. A grin followed suit, dancing about his lips merrily.  
  
"Evidentally you missed your calling." Corrine teased, tilting her head to regard him fondly..  
  
Toma winked in response as he knocked on the door once to announce their entrance and then he pulled it open, waiting aside for Corrine to enter before him.  
  
The first impression Corrine got as she entered was a sense of mystery that lay in the mixture of light and shadows that played against the walls and crept into the corners. Candles were lit everywhere to provide illumination however they also drew out and enhanced the shadows in their mysterious play. Bookcases lined the walls and instinctively her eyes were drawn to them, causing her to wonder how many books she had read or perhaps more importantly how many she -hadn't-. It was only Toma's hand encircling her own that kept her from making a beeline toward the cases to peruse the titles. Away she finally tore her attention away from the books and turned it back toward the rest of the cabin. The next thing that caught her eye was the welcoming fireplace, just the sight of it gave her warmth, a few purple covered wing chairs flanked its sides providing the means to bask in its warmth.  
  
It was a room that demanded to be lived in, read in, dreamed in and it filled Corrine with a wistful longing that had root in something that teased at her mind but would not let her know its source.  
  
Central to the room was a make-shift table covered in an ornate spun white damask tablecloth, threads of silver shooting here and there with aesthetic abandon. Five settings of crystal and silver denoted the number that would sit down at this evening meal. Atop the china plates were intricately folded linen napkins that demonstrated the very best of Slash's homemaking skills as well as silverware edged with amethyst enamel. This just wasn't the type of thing that Corrine was expecting.  
  
Inexplicably her attention was drawn by the queer sensation she felt tickling the bottom of her stomach, the butterflies were acting up with a vengeance and they seemed reluctant to give her a moment's respite. The hair on the back of her neck prickled with anticipation, it was a presence that she sensed in the room, one which she hadn't noticed when she first entered the door with Toma. Hard to ignore and completely disquieting, she was completely defenseless against the sheer wall of power that slammed against her aura receptive body. Instincts drove her closer to Toma though she knew that there was nothing to fear whatsoever.. she could feel it in the growing familiarity that she didn't think she posessed with the presence in the room.  
  
Very slowly she looked up in the direction where the feeling was pulsating from, it was only a simple lift of her head but she couldn't imagine being anymore scared or trembling then she already was.  
  
Standing near the hearth was Magus, it could be no other. He leaned against the mantle piece with a feline grace though his his defenses were drawn up strongly despite the fact that this was his hallowed ground and he had no need for such. Their previous encounter Corrine and Magus maintained eye contact though now they were free to look each other up and down though Magus's gaze was made with more inpunity then Corrine's half veiled observation.  
  
Corrine noted that Magus was dressed no more carefully then he had been up there on the deck. His slim hips encased in doeskin while a burgundy red tunic covered most of his torso, belted at the waist and highlighting his fair colouring, finally hugging his calves were a pair of brown leather boots. Despite the informality of not changing for dinner he was still well turned out. However due to the fine figure that he was, she knew that it would be impossible to speak for her tongue seemed to have turned to the finest of sawdust that seemed to accumulate at the core of her voice box.  
  
Magus had cloaked his presence when they first entered the room so that he could observe her without being observed in turn. It was a good thing for when he allowed himself to become noticed, there was that instant glimmer of hesitancy that hadn't been present when she initially entered the room. ~*Is she scared of me?*~ Some lurking fear that was ushered in by the rumors that she heard, no doubt. Oh but he had to admit that she was beautiful. First and formost it was those eyes that seemed so wise beyond their years. Toma had mentioned her age in passing, surely those eyes had seen more then sixteen summers, certainly more then the 27 that he had seen of his own. Next he was drawn to her form, so fragile and lithe that he was hesitant to go over and shake her hand for fear that it might just break off. Beside that he wasn't sure if a simple handshake would fit. ~* I don't think you shake hands with a lady, it doesn't seem right.*~ He didn't know the proper rules of society so he just stayed there, training his unreadible grey eyes on Corrine and Toma.  
  
She bit her lower lip as Toma led her to Magus. Imagine her surprise when she found out that Magus had been in the room all along and while it made it easier it also made it harder especially when she was acutely aware of the way he looked at her. Barely aware that Toma stopped, she kept walking foward til she tripped over Toma's shoes and went stumbling forward.  
  
A strong pair of hands caught her and steadied her but they weren't Toma's hands and she let out a very soft gasp as she looked up into Magus's face. Close enough that she could look into his eyes, drown in the stormy depths. ~*Oh please don't do this to me.*~ She pleaded to her body, hoping that she didn't grow weak right there. That was the last thing she wanted to come across as being.  
  
"Are you alright?" Toma and Magus both said in unison though Magus's voice was edged with less protectiveness.  
  
"Umm.. yes. I am fine. I am just a klutz." Corrine said as she straightened up considerably.  
  
Magus removed his hands from her shoulders and placed them at his side though now they felt strangely empty and useless. He had never had an awkward moment in his life and yet here it graced this whole first meeting. ~*There is a first for everything.*~  
  
Seething inside with jealousy, it wasn't the fact that Magus steadied her.. it was the look that Corrine bestowed on Magus that made him hurt, there was no chance that she would ever look at him like that. His heart crumpled up into a compact ball and dragged itself to the bottom of his belly where his hope lay in wait to swallow it up. He came smashing back to reality when he realized he had yet to make introductions.  
  
"Magus, I would like to introduce Corrine Graie. Cori, this is Magus Zeal." Toma effected the introductions as smoothly as he could under the circumstances. His eyes darted betwixt the two and he saw Magus smile faintly, smiling enough to make him irresistable. The rosy blush staining Corrine's cheeks was too much to handle and Toma had an urge to go outside and colour the sea with his sickness.  
  
Offering his hand, Magus let the smile slip away from his lips though it still played like a shadow in Corrine's memory and warmed her up better then the fire in the hearth could of done. Very shyly she put her hand in his and watched him as he raised it up to his lips, how could she of known that he was only doing it because somewhere in his mind he remembered that was a courtly gesture of Zeal. He did it with so much practiced ease, a perfectly placed kiss onto the smooth porcelain skin. A touch as delicate as sakura petals with just the barest whisper of his breath to tease.  
  
"I have heard many things about you, Miss Graie. Toma certainly enjoys regaling me with stories of how wonderful you are."  
  
"Toma does not know what he is saying most of the time, He likes to exaggerate."  
  
"I know what I am saying and I promise I won't say anything else, it might give you a big head. And I will thank you not to talk about me in the third person." Toma snapped out at both of them, petulance mirrored in his voice as he folded his arms across his chest. It disturbed him that they were so eager to shut him out and he didn't like the feeling of feeling less then important to them.  
  
"So you testify against all that Toma has said?"  
  
"Toma is a gifted storyteller and with every tale that he tells, he tends to embellish it. Naturally he would make me out to be something that I do not think that I am." Corrine said as she darted an amused glance at Toma. Magus followed suit and caught instantly the frustration in Toma's demeanor.. was that frustration? Very briefly he analyzed the situation. ~*Can it be possible that Toma is jealous? Toma who could no doubt twist -any- female around his pinky with ease?*~ The idea was laughable. But just in case Magus dropped Corrine's hand and stepped back a little bit, averting his eyes to the roaring flames. He had strayed beyond the bounds of host and temporarily got caught up in starlight mirrored in Corrine's magical eyes.  
  
"I take it you enjoyed the snow earlier this evening. Really I don't recall when I have seen Ozzie and Slash have such an enjoyable time." Magus ran his hand over the mantle and instinctively raised his hand up to eye level, spying if there were any sign of dust. Merely a habit of his when he was nervous though he didn't get nervous enough to recognize it as such.  
  
"Oh yes!" Corrine smiled with the exclaimation reverberating through her soulful eyes. "I was never really allowed to step outside that much. The only alternative was to sneak out and even when I did that I still got exhausted easily."  
  
"That must of made the adventure of it all the more fun. Forbidden fruit has always been the sweetest and most hard to resist."  
  
"Strangely I felt like I could breath easier not having to worry about whether my mother would catch me or not. There is something to be said about a clear conscience." His aristocratic profile Corrine's gaze lingered over, admiring it.. longing to feel the cheek to see it felt as cold as it looked.  
  
Of course Magus wasn't one to exactly -know- what a clear conscience felt like, not when he had so many deaths knelling over his soul to begin with and he had never thought about it before. But why was it that looking into Corrine's eyes, he immediately felt guilty even though he didn't think he had any reason to whatsoever? This he allowed his mind to mull over with while he played the part of cordial host, a role that he was totally unfamilar with yet something in him was compelled to impress Corrine and show her that he could be just as civilized man as Toma.  
  
"Believe me, running away from home is not the most vile of the Seven Sins" Magus murmured as he took one look into Corrine's eyes and then immediately averted his gaze to another direction. Those purple eyes he sensed could read alot more then they were given and strangely his soul felt naked to their probing depths.  
  
There was something about Corrine and he couldn't put his fingers on it exactly. Her beauty affected him in a way that he had never felt before, and he realized that it is very little that could move him to such longing in his heart. Could that be why he averted his eyes? Because she was too beautiful for him to look at her. Most certainly he felt he could taint her with but glance no matter how fragile it was.  
  
"Gee Magus, I am getting kinda hungry." Toma murmured, his arms still folded across his chest as he eyed his "dear" friend with brown earthquake filled eyes. Had Magus been any less grounded, he would of been deeply affected by such a sight. However nothing short of world catastrophe could even attempt to phase the mighty Magus.  
  
Corrine felt the vibes run like a line of wildfire between the two men and she slowly stepped backwards a few paces, making a pretense of turning around to look even more closely at the bookcases that lined the walls of the cabin. Soon her attention was drawn away and her purple eyes were cast upon the tomes of knowledge with a hunger that even surprised herself.  
Very slowly she stole away toward the cases before Magus and Toma could notice her, her fingers running their tips against the smooth leather bound spines.  
  
"You didn't tell me she could read." Magus murmured as he turned to look at Corrine's profile as she opened a book and scanned through a book.  
He was trying to ignore the pointed animosity that lurked in Toma's eyes and so he was pretty much at a loss; he could not look into Corrine's eyes, but neither he could look into Toma's. It only seemed like he was just causing awkwardness in the cozy little group and while with anyone else he wouldn't of minded, it seemed like he was torn between being polite to Corrine and being sociable with Toma. There was just no middle ground.  
  
"Of course she can read! Did you think she was some sort of provincial ill-read village hick?" Toma nearly snapped Magus's head off in what was an uncharacteristic tremor of crankiness. Magus had not seen the likes of this before and he decided to just avoid looking at Corrine for the time being. Toma was his friend and Corrine was, dare he say, just a woman.  
  
"No," Magus seemed to develop a strange preoccupation with the flickering of the fire, wondering absently why it wasn't casting more light around the room. Normally he was quite at home in the shadows, but right now they seemed to be casting accusations at him and making him feel less at home. ".. Not many females of my aquaintance know how to read is all that I am implying." Magus murmured. Toma laughed derisively.  
  
"Oh? I suppose you are counting Flea as a female nowadays. Really you are pathetic, you haven't had any encounters with real females up to this point in your life, I am surprised you don't think them one big myth or fairy tale."  
  
Corrine looked up from the book that she was reading, her purple eyes scanning the two friends; at least they appeared to be friends but she could sense the tension between them and for one sinking moment she pondered that it might he her that was causing the rift. She shut the book with a soft thud and the two men turned to look at her as if awakening from a hazy daze which they had no seeming recollection of. Using all the female wiles that she innately possessed, she smiled ever so enigmatically and softly whispered. "I am rather famished after today's sport..." She knew that the only way to stop them was to appeal to the masculine in them that wanted to look after her. Not quite so certain of Magus's reaction but positive of Toma's.  
  
Of course Magus was the first one to truly respond to this statement and as it were glanced toward the gold tasseled bell-pull. His finely tuned senses could make out the aromas wafting from the kitchen gallery, all apart of Slash's wonderful cooking. It should be done by now, shouldn't it? "I will check to see what is keeping them." Magus cleared his throat and started toward the door, his normally astute mind reeling with the confusion that his entire being was feeling. A sweeping sense of disorientation that made the room spin and his logical mind ache. Stomping toward the door, Magus hurried as fast as he could, but he paused with his hand on the doornob and looked over his shoulder. "...But please, Miss Graie. Make yourself at home with my study and my books. I will be back with some repast shortly." Magus schooled his features into a mask of impersonal urbanity and then walked out the door, shutting the door firmly.  
  
When Magus had left the room, Corrine sat down on one of the oversized wing chairs and looked up at Toma with eyes that were suddenly very melancholy and wistful. All the weight of the past 16 and a half years crashing down upon her shoulders.  
  
"Don't make me the cataclyst that tears you both apart. I will not be here too much longer.. you both shall remain far after my time."  
  
That left a bitter taste in Toma's mouth. 


	10. Chapter Nine: A Storm on the Sea, a Sto...

((Author's Note: Slash has always been my favorite of Magus's minions for some reason. I know that most of you reading are expecting me to portray Slash as being the strong and silent type. By all rights he is but I don't know, I think that Slash holds alot more inner wisdom then Ozzie and Flea combined. Out of the trio, he no doubt is the most level headed of them.  
*laughs*))  
  
Chapter Nine  
  
"I look to you, how you carry on,  
When all hope is gone, can't you see.  
Your optimistic eyes seemed like paradise,  
To someone like me."  
- Black Celebration by Depeche Mode  
  
There was no moon that night as the -The Schala- sailed smoothly across the waters of the Medina Sea and that night Magus was out on deck with his arms leaning against the railing, looking onto the dark foamy water. In a strange way it mirrored his heart and he took comfort in the simple pleasure of staring out into the murky unknown.. His cloak billowed around his form in response to the cold winter chill of the storm clouds that were brewing on the horizon. Before they hit the Medina Continent, there would be a bit of rough weather hence why he was on deck. It would be easy to take the helm as soon as the waters became choppy. Most importantly it gave him a chance to think over the events of the evening meal, such perplexing events as he had never expirienced before.  
  
Raking his fingers through his chameleon hair, he was uncertain of where his thoughts should begin. To be sure, he could start with the -kinship- that he felt with Corrine, a strange connection that couldn't be placed for perhaps that was the most bizarre. Observing Corrine over his bowl of turtle soup, he noticed how easily she put everyone in good humor. Ozzie turned into a purring kitten right in front of his eyes, eager to do Corrine's merest bidding. Slash hovered over Corrine much like a mother hen guarded its young, served her the choicest selections from the sideboard and even smiled whenever she choose to speak to him, which was quite often. And Toma, the jealous lover.. it wasn't just him that Toma was edgy toward, it was Slash and Ozzie as well; Every smile that Corrine bestowed upon anyone other then Toma, he was almost certain to get that gleam in his eyes.  
  
Magus couldn't steal more then a few sentances to Corrine, the rest of the company were so eager to monopolize her attentions, so he contented himself with watching Corrine. A moth to an illuminating source of light, that was the likes of what he felt. He didn't need to speak to her to bask in the warmth that radiated from her.  
  
A light that was going to be snuffed out shortly, and he would be the cause of it. When he had thought of a virgin to sacrifice on his own personal alter of revenge, he hadn't quite pictured a woman such as Corrine. She was deserving of life and would only be repaid in the rotten fruits of death. Death was always what it came back to in the end, at least where he was concerned.  
  
Footsteps came up behind him and he paused in his thoughts, listening closely before his features relaxed and he resumed his position. "Yes, Slash?" Magus inquired, his minion rarely interrupting him in his thoughts except when it was important.  
  
The dark cloaked figure stepped up beside Magus and leaned against the railing as well, the cowl that he wore to protect himself from the elements shielded his face so that Magus couldn't see the expression. A low sigh issued from the folds and the breath that escaped it turned opaque against the cold air.  
  
"Why her?" Was the only words that came out, a voice laced with a subtle trace of sorrow, the hands folded against the railing where blue and clasped together tightly.  
  
For once, Magus couldn't readily answer a question that was posed to him and for that reason he stayed silent a space of time. ~*Indeed, why her? Why not someone else?*~ But his rational mind interrupted the newly revealed emotional side of his persona. "She is not to live any longer then a few months, It was her choice and Toma informed me that this was what she wanted. We do not have much time, Lavos grows restless underneath the earth, I can feel Him and his energy."  
  
"Our cause is not worth it, The Mystics do not need to be rulers of the world. I would rather see one decent human girl live then all the scum of the human race die." Slash murmured sorrowfully as he peered sideways toward his master.  
  
If he only knew.  
  
However Magus couldn't tell Slash that his agenda differed from the Mystics of Medina, his true reasons for summoning Lavos was to destroy him, a personal vendetta that would consume him until he avenged his sister, Schala's death. If death came, then so be it. He had promised himself that he would laugh it in it's face. Corrine's death, he knew, wouldn't be a laughing matter at all and from the looks of it, would crush both Toma -and- Slash.  
  
"It is not my decision, it is hers. She was the one who placed her life willingly in my hands. If you wish to entreat her to reconsider, then let it be so but Toma has tried and to no avail.. and he is the closest of us to her." Magus said as he watched the storm clouds gathering into a black void that filled the sky, rolling slowly over them.  
  
"I cannot like it..." Slash ventured reluctantly as he moved away from the railing as the waves started to crash against the sides of the ship, dampening the wood of the deck. "..But you are my Lord and Master and I must follow your orders in everything and I must trust you. Ozzie covets your position, Flea lusts after you, but I can only follow, being no better then a servant." There was feeling in Slash's voice and deep down inside Magus was moved by it. "I will serve and protect you, but also will I bestow the same treatment on Lady Graie To both you and her I give my fealty."  
  
Stunned, that was what Magus was. Such a profession he would have never suspected from his silent minion, but within the course of half a day, a change had been wrought on this ship and he didn't know how he would ever steer things back to how they used to be. Magus merely nodded his head in acknowledgement and stepped away from the railing toward the helm. "We are heading for rough weather, you might want to take shelter below." There was a tad bit of gruffness to Magus's voice, not being used to such willing and kind respect.  
  
"Yes Master Magus." Slash murmured and executed a half bow and then brought himself up to his full height of six foot six inches. "I will notify everyone below deck of the impending weather if you wish."  
  
"So be it." He trained his eyes on the sea in front of him, water being a natural realm for him, it was easy to hear its calling lure, and therefore systematically avoid it. Slash then took his leave with as much silence as he entered and only then Magus was allowed to relax his guard considerably. While it was pleasant to have that heart to heart with Slash, it still left a bit of bittersweet wistfulness in its wake as Slash's questions was the catalyst to his awareness that Corrine would die, and by his hands.  
  
Previously the concept of murder had meant little to him. All lives were expendable had been his creed, and so he had killed descriminitly. No it had not been exactly murder, but this.. this surely would be and he regretted it even before he had time to prepare for the intricate ritual much less carry it out.  
  
Glancing over his shoulder he saw a cloaked figure emerge from the door leading to the guest cabins. He cocked a brow slightly as the figure went to the other side of the boat and paused to look out on the water. Then he saw a slim arm leave the confines of the cloak and steady the figure against the railing. ~*Corrine? What is she doing out in this weather? She might catch her death of cold.*~ Magus thought with the faintest trace of displeasure racing through him at the little thought of concern that instinctively took over his mind. He pushed away from the railing and made his way over to the lone figure's side without even knowing that he did it. Tapping her on the shoulder, he cleared his voice faintly.  
  
"Miss Graie? Should you not be in your quarters where it is safe and dry?" Magus made his voice stern and authoritative. It was an attempt to mask the fact that he gave a damn about this village maiden. In a reflexive gesture he put his hand on the wooden railing next to her. It would make it easier to catch her in the off-chance that she swooned or was tossed off the boat by the tumultuous waves sending the craft flying.  
  
"I couldn't sleep." Corrine said, not turning around to acknowledge Magus even though she desperately wanted to see his face, wanted to speak to him without Toma becoming consistantly jealous of every word that she directed to him.  
  
"Ah, insomniac too?" Magus said as he came to grips that there was no harm in the girl taking the air for a short time. Sea air was supposed to be good for those that were sick or ill, its restorative powers known to one and all. But likewise he knew that Corrine's mother likely did not have the means to take her to the sea.. Rarely many mainland dwellers did unless they lived in the Township of Truce where the ruler was of a generous nature and provided completely for his people.  
  
"Yes. Most of the time I was likely to pretend I was asleep for my mother's peace of mind. That way she could get her rest and she wouldn't resent me all the more for keeping her from it." Magus detected a wistful note to Corrine's voice and he cleared his voice with trepidition. After all he didn't want to sound too curious but in his mind where formed at least five questions for every sentance that fell from Corrine's lips  
  
"I assume that relations between you and your mother were less then congenial, at least from how you speak."  
  
"My mother and I are very different, almost opposite in temperment. I have tried to compromise with her and when that didn't work I aimed for quiet acceptance, but she was happy with neither. Needless to say it did not tear me up over much not to be able to say goodbye to her." Corrine though -did- feel guilty for it, for the complete lack of remorse.  
  
"Mother problems are something that I can fully sympathize with." Magus responded to Corrine as he leaned against the railing however he was not relaxed. Every muscle was tensed in anticipation of lurches in the boat that did not seem to come. Perhaps what he was really worried about was those strange lurches that he got in the pit of his stomach at each word that Corrine spoke.  
  
"I was not even aware that you had a mother." Corrine said with a faint raise of her brow as she burrowed herself further into her cloak. When Toma had told her stories of Magus, she had built him up only to idealize him. It was somewhat hard to swallow to imagine that he had a past beside the stories that she drank up so eagerly. "But then even legends among men have their roots somewhere."  
  
"Really, I hardly consider myself a man." There was a bitter tinge to his voice, not meeting Corrine's eyes for fear of what he might read there. Accusations? Perhaps even chastisement. From Corrine's eyes it would be damning and he damn well knew that. He looked down at the swirling black waters of the surroundings seas.  
  
"You are not a monster, you are not a man... Where does that put you then? Who do you -see- yourself as?" Corrine inquired. Right now the man that appeared before her looked so helplessly vulnerable. Yes, he tried hard to disguise it, to cloak as surely as the clouds were now covering the moon. Her heart went out to him. When Magus did not readily answer, she continued. "I know the reason why you want to summoun this being.. Toma told me. It is to avenge your sister's death. You must of loved her dearly in order to go to such lengths." There was a subtle tinge of melancholy to her voice as she said those words  
  
"Yes, she was very dear to me." Magus trailed off, he caught the undertone of wistfulness to her voice. It was those nuances that caused him finally to look at her profile. At that moment he was struck by how brave she looked and so still, like a graveyard angel underneath the moonlight with her silver hair peeking tendrils out of its confines. Such bravery in the face of death. For a moment he was reminded of Cyrus and the similar way that the man had faced death. He had known exactly what he was getting himself into when he accepted Magus's bargain. Likewise Corrine knew as well, and the stoicism which she displayed filled him with confusion. He had seen mighty generals weep before the death strike of his scythe, what made Corrine and Cyrus different?  
  
"Tell me Corrine. Why are you so prepared to give your life to my cause?" What Magus -really- meant to ask was ~*Why are you so brave*~ but those words would not form, it was probably something that she wouldn't be able to answer and so he had phrased it into something less ambiguous.  
  
"I have nothing to live for, Magus." Corrine said softly and bowed her head as a silent tear fell. Magus could not see the tear but it rang out like the veriest peal over his head, much like the black wind that howled around him constantly. However for once, the black wind didn't seem to exist. It was silenced by those soft words of wisdom dropping like pearls from her rosebud lips. He continued to listen as she had merely paused, he sensed it. "There is no way that I would stand the rigors of village life, my body likewise was not made to have children and no man would have me with the knowledge that I will eventually die. I am a liability to my mother and my sister. I figure that if I cannot do anything worthy in life, then surely I can find some purpose in death."  
  
"But what makes you sure that my way is -right-?" Magus countered as he reached up almost instinctively and wiped that tear away from her cheek. He then noticed that a few tears had followed the first one and that her cheek was dampened by the result. Corrine looked up at him and at that moment he froze once again as her eyes held him in awe. There was something sacred there, a light that he thought only existed in the stories that Toma liked to weave of maidens and chivalry. It humbled him in a way that he could not even begin to describe.  
  
"Anything done in the name of love is a cause that hasn't been in vain. You loved your sister, I can clearly see that with the way you are looking right now. You loved her so much that you are willing to summoun the creature that killed her in order to avenge her memory. However what you are going to do is like tossing a stone out into a lake. The stone touches one single part of the lake, but the ripples resulting pan out and enfold everything on the surface, the memory of the stone connecting carries on long after it has sunk to the bottom." Corrine said softly as she then stifled a yawn and rubbed at her eyes. She then smiled up at Magus softly. "I think that perhaps that is my cue to retire. I wish you sweet dreams, Magus."  
  
No one had ever wished Magus a good night before much less sweet dreams and so he was just as perplexed at her ending to the conversation just as much as he was by her answers to the questions that poured readily from his lips. He wanted a selfish excuse to keep her here on the desk, indulging in his whims for conversation and discussions on ethics and philosophy. Perhaps it was only to soak in her wisdom, or maybe it was those amethyst eyes. However he could respect her wishes to seek her bed.  
He took her hand a bit awkwardly and gave it a very soft squeeze and the traces of a smile played across his normally set in stone lips.  
  
"And you have sweet dreams as well, Lady Graie.. If I do not see you at breakfast, I will no doubt see you when we dock at Raven Wing's Fortress."  
  
"Please Magus, do not call me Lady Graie. I am merely Corrine." She returned the squeeze tenderly and then her hand slipped out of his, or did he merely let it go? They both were not sure as the moment passed by in a blur. She silently made her way to the door leading below decks and then she was gone. Thereby leaving Magus to his thoughts.  
  
And he was no closer to understanding the enigma that was her, nor could he comprehend the quickening of his heart at the memory of that touch shared between them. The thoughts whirling through his mind occupied him until he had seen through the worst of the storm and was thereby allowed to seek his own sort of shelter.  
  
Even then ensconced in his own room, the thoughts did not readily disappear. 


End file.
